A Lover and a Fighter
by StillAMinx
Summary: Sequel to 'Goodbye, My Lover.' Quinn is teaching Sookie to defend herself while Eric is mysteriously absent. With the tiger back and hotter than ever, will she still want the distant dead guy? Set post DAG
1. Arrival

_Author's note: This is the sequel to my previous story, "Goodbye, my lover" and it makes more sense if you read that one first ;) _

_(Click on my name above and you'll find it on my author page.)_

* * *

When I dragged my weary carcass out of bed just before 6am, I was a wreck. Eric left the night before and I'd spent most of the night crying, sleeping so little that it made me more tired, not less. I caught sight of myself in the mirror and I looked terrible. My face was puffy and red, my eyes had huge black bags under them and my posture screamed 'depressed'.

I shouldn't have been surprised that I looked so wretched. In the course of a single sleepless night, I had convinced myself that Eric left because I said I loved him, that he definitely didn't love me back, and he wasn't ever coming back. Thankfully the morning light made that all seem rather crazy and reminded me that I really didn't know what was going on. I figured the best thing to do was clean myself up some, so I didn't _look_ crazy, at least.

I took a long shower, washed my hair and scrubbed myself all over with a yummy scented shower gel. As I came back into my room afterward, I was pleased with the heady perfume that wafted in with me. I smelled like an exotic bouquet now, not last night's sex. Good thing, with a shifter coming to visit today; their noses never missed a thing.

I stopped short. I smelled of Eric before, and I had just washed his scent from my skin without thinking twice. That realization made me miss him all over again. I sat down on my bed and cried some more, still wrapped in my wet towel. He was so far away I could barely feel him through the bond. I was used to his feelings buzzing away in the back of my mind now, and their sudden absence felt like a lost limb to me. It took me half an hour to pull myself together enough to dress, and even then all I managed was worn-out jeans and an old t-shirt. I left my hair to air dry; I couldn't concentrate enough to magic it into shape.

I went looking for some housework to take my mind off things, but there was nothing to do. Amelia and I both liked to clean when we were stressed or upset, and we'd been plenty stressed and upset recently. The whole house was sparkling clean. But I had to find something to do other than feel sorry for myself, so I decided to cook breakfast instead. Quinn would be arriving some time around 9am and that was well over an hour away, so I figured I'd better come up with something special.

I flipped through Gran's cookbooks for a while and settled on one of her favorite recipes: crepes filled with warm fruit. I found all the ingredients I needed in the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief, thankful I didn't have to go out to buy anything. In a small town people gossip about _everything _and this morning, I looked like a disaster on legs. I made the thin pancake batter and put it in the fridge to sit while I prepared the fruit. Once it was ready, I put the fruit on the stove over low heat, then set the table nicely while I waited for it to cook. I even went into the garden to pick some flowers, which I put in the center of the table in a small vase.

Amelia came downstairs at 8:30 and complimented me on the smell of my cooking and the pretty table setting, then insisted on making fresh orange juice to go with breakfast. She found her citrus juicer and started squeezing the oranges by hand.

While she juiced and I cooked, Amelia told me she sat up late the night before, reading the magic books Niall left me. She started filling me in on all the interesting things she had learned and I tried to keep up, but her knowledge of magic was far beyond my own and most of what she said made no sense to me. When I finally admitted I didn't understand something, she said not to worry; she didn't think I needed to know the theory to be able to do things. I was relieved.

At five to nine, Quinn arrived. He was going to stay with us for the next month to teach me to defend myself, and I was really looking forward to learning. I was sick of feeling scared all the time. Amelia let him in the front door and showed him to the spare room while I kept cooking. He retrieved a bag from his truck and put it in his room, then came to join us in the kitchen.

"Hey babe," he greeted me. He came up and hugged me from behind while I kept cooking, planting a soft kiss on the top of my head as he did. I relaxed in his arms and forgot to be sad for a few seconds.

"Hey Quinn, how was your trip here?" I asked as he squeezed me tight, then released me.

"Uneventful. My plane got into Shreveport really late last night so I stayed there in a hotel and drove here this morning. That smells amazing," he grinned.

"Thanks. It's almost ready, just a couple minutes more." I already had most of the crepes cooked and sitting in the oven to keep warm; I just had to cook the last few and serve them up.

"I'm starving. The room service breakfast was horrible so I didn't really eat much."

"I'll make you a couple extra then. Go sit down and I'll bring them over in a second."

"Thanks babe. You're an angel."

I laughed and deliberately misinterpreted him. "No, just a human with a hint of fairy blood. I'm pretty sure you have to be 100% fairy to become an angel, but even then you have to earn it. Claudine was getting close," I added sadly, missing my cousin.

He went to sit down, taking the same seat at the head of the kitchen table where Jason had sat the night before. I liked seeing him there; he seemed far more worthy of the spot than Jason did. Strange, considering he's not family and had never been around much. Amelia took the jug of orange juice over and sat in her usual seat, which was to his left.

"One of those books said the right word is 'halfling'," she corrected. "Fairy blood is so much stronger than human blood that even someone like you who's got one-eighth fairy blood is still considered half-fairy, half-human."

I thought about it a second. "Would anyone even know what I meant? I think I'll just keep calling myself a waitress for now, even though I'm not working for Sam any more. I'll keep calling myself a telepath around Supes, of course, but around humans..."

I was rolling up the crepes with the fruit inside them, then drizzling them with honey. They looked almost as good as Gran's did and I was pleased they turned out so well.

"So you quit Merlottes?" Quinn asked.

"Well, I haven't told Sam yet, but he tried to convince me to do something else with my life the last couple of times I saw him, so he won't be surprised when I do. I'm going to try making a living from my telepathy instead."

"That's great. You could tell humans you're a consultant. It's true enough, you're a consultant telepath."

"You know you don't actually have to work now, don't you?" Amelia asked me. "She just inherited some money," she added for Quinn's benefit.

"I want to work," I insisted. "I have to be around people to stay in practice, shielding myself from their thoughts. If I'm alone for even a few days it gets tough again."

I brought out three plates of crepes and we all ate in silence, enjoying them too much to talk.

"Those were great," Quinn complimented me. "You're an amazing cook, babe."

He had demolished four of the fruit-filled crepes and looked like he could manage more. Amelia and I were each still struggling through our second. Shifters seemed to need a lot more food than humans; I figured changing shape must take a lot of energy.

"Oh yeah," Amelia agreed.

She looked back and forth between Quinn and I with a goofy grin on her face.

"What?" I asked her.

"I was just thinking how adorable you two are together. You're so comfortable with each other, you just get one another. It's so sweet."

As soon as she said it, I didn't feel comfortable any more. I suddenly felt like I was cheating on Eric by enjoying Quinn's company so much.

"Amelia," I said in a warning tone. "Please don't. Eric only left last night and I don't know where he is or what's happening... I can't do this now."

"Don't worry, babe, it's OK." Quinn reassured me. "I know you're with him and I'll respect that. I love you and I'd like to win you back, but I can smell him all over you and..." he trailed off when he saw that I was crying. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

I kept crying. When he said that I smelled like Eric, I remembered that I had washed his scent from my skin without thinking twice that morning. I knew I wouldn't see Eric for a long time and my heart ached for him. I was embarrassed that I was falling apart in front of Quinn and Amelia, so I got up to leave the table. I didn't make it far; as I stood I felt really dizzy and my knees buckled.

Quinn caught me as I fell and set me down gently in my chair, holding my shoulders so I didn't fall. "Are you OK?"

I didn't answer.

"Eric said this might happen," Amelia told him.

She retrieved a bunch of vitamin tablets from the kitchen and poured another glass of juice for me, then coaxed me to swallow the pills and drink the juice.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asked her.

"She lost more blood than she should've last night, so she'll be weak for a couple of days," she told him.

He was angry when he spoke again. "You mean he took too much of her blood."

"Quinn, please," I interrupted weakly. "Don't get mad, he didn't do anything to hurt me."

"If he took so much blood that you're fainting today, he has hurt you, the bastard!" he fumed.

I burst into tears again. "I didn't faint, I was just dizzy, and he really didn't do anything wrong. I don't have to explain myself to you, what I do with Eric is none of your business. Please stop."

He sat down beside me and took my hand. "OK, I'm sorry. I don't understand, but if you say it's alright, I'll take your word for it."

Quinn seemed like he was ready to let it drop, but Amelia wasn't.

"He said you wanted to do this, Sook. I don't get that. Why would you want to give him so much blood that you faint the next day?" Something in her tone told me that she wouldn't let it go until she got an answer. Her tenacity could be annoying sometimes.

I sighed. "I don't know where he's gone or what he's doing but I know it's something awful. I gave him more blood than usual so, so..." Tears ran down my face as I trailed off, unable to keep going.

"So he'd be stronger," Quinn finished for me. "To help him face whatever it is."

I nodded. "And so he's got some of me with him, whatever happens," I added in a whisper.

Quinn wiped the tears from my face, then licked them from his fingertips, which I found oddly comforting. I could feel that he understood now; he would do something like that to help the people he loves, too.

I was just about to thank him for being so understanding when the phone rang. Amelia jumped up to get it.

"Hello, Amelia speaking", she greeted the caller.

I could only hear her side of the short conversation that followed.

"I'll just get her for you."

She paused, listening to the caller's response.

"She needs to come and see you."

A longer pause followed, and she rolled her eyes a couple of times.

She sighed loudly. "Look, Hunter inherited some money, she was going to come and tell you in person."

The caller's response to that was short and clearly offended Amelia.

"Fine, she'll be there at midday."

I heard the click as the call ended immediately after she said that.

"Asshole," she muttered as she slammed the phone down. She calmed herself before she turned to Quinn and I.

"That was Remy," she told me.

"My cousin's ex-husband," I explained for Quinn's benefit.

"He was really rude, Sook," she continued. "Said he didn't want to hear from you, that you encouraged Hunter to be weird and to keep away from him. He said to tell you not to contact him ever again. Then I mentioned the money and he said you can come visit him today at midday. I hope that's OK, he didn't sound like he was in the mood to negotiate."

"I guess I'll have to head straight over then," I sighed. "Sorry Quinn, they live an hour and a half's drive away. I probably won't have time to start training today after all, and I really need to leave in the next half hour if I'm going to get there by twelve."

"That's OK, you're not really well enough, anyway. Do you mind if I drive you though? I'll worry about you having another dizzy spell while you're on the road if you go by yourself."

_Aw, _Amelia broadcast at me loudly. _See those puppy dog eyes? He's so into you, Sook! So sweet and protective. Not at all overbearing about it either. Such a keeper, that one. And so hot! Do you see the way the muscles in his forearms ripple every time he moves? Yum! I tell you, if you're not gonna tap that, I could be very tempted._

I was glaring at Amelia, and Quinn gave me a puzzled look. I heard him wonder why I was glaring at her, then figure out what was happening and wonder what she was thinking at me. I knew he must've meant for me to 'overhear', since shifters' brains weren't completely open to me the way humans' are. I decided I owed Amelia for all the times she blurted out things I didn't want people to know, and I would pay her back a little.

"Amelia was just making sure I noticed the way the muscles in your forearms ripple every time you move. She thinks I should pay very close attention," I told him.

Quinn chuckled.

Amelia didn't even blush. "Just making sure she noticed," she shrugged.

She cleared our plates from the table and went to the sink to wash them.

"This Hunter's someone really important to you, isn't he?" Quinn asked. I heard him thinking that if I had to go see some asshole who only wanted to see me for the money, he was going to scope out the situation carefully, just in case.

"He's my cousin Hadley's only son. She lived above Amelia in New Orleans, in the apartment you helped me clean out."

He nodded.

"You should tell him the rest," Amelia insisted. I had only recently told her that Hunter is a telepath, on the condition that she never tell anyone. I wasn't exactly pleased she mentioned it.

Quinn looked at me expectantly. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"Look, I trust you, but this isn't about my safety. It's about someone else's. A child's. If I tell you this, you can't repeat it to anyone ever, no matter what. And that you can't even think about it if you're anywhere near Barry Bellboy."

"I promise," he said solemnly. "And Barry rarely leaves California now, so I'm not likely to see him any time soon."

"OK," I hesitated. "Hunter is... special."

"He's a telepath too?" he guessed, getting it right first time.

I nodded. "He needs my help, that's why I have to go over there. I need to teach him how to shield so he's not driven crazy by hearing other people's thoughts all the time, and I have to protect him from people who would want to exploit his talent if they found him. Nobody else understands except maybe Barry, but I sure wouldn't trust Barry with him. It has to be me."

"Then we'll head right over," Quinn agreed, just like that.

And we did.


	2. Drive

Quinn and I were on the road to Red Ditch fifteen minutes after Remy called. I had to use my new fairy powers to be ready so quickly, and once he saw what I could do, he wanted to know about all my new powers.

"That thing you did with the outfit was really impressive, babe," he said as we started on our journey. "A real fairy trick. Amelia said you've got some other new powers, too?"

"Yeah, they all kind of activated at once. I'm pretty sure my great-grandfather did something to me before he left. It made me heal faster so I don't mind, but I had fairy nightmares for a couple of weeks afterwards, which weren't so nice. Eric helped me work out what they were and I can mostly control them now, praise the Lord."

"Your great-grandfather?"

I felt so comfortable around him that I let it slip without thinking. I debated telling him for a few seconds, then decided I trusted him enough to let him know.

"This is another one of my big secrets, Quinn. If I tell you this, you can't repeat it to anyone. The only other people who know this are Eric, Bill and Amelia. Well, and my brother, of course."

He glanced away from the road for a few seconds and looked me in the eye. "Your secrets are safe with me, babe."

"OK. Have you heard of a fairy called Niall?"

He nodded. "You mean the head honcho, Prince Niall? He's Sky blood and really powerful, that's basically all I know about him." Then he realized. "_He's_ your great-grandfather? The fairy so powerful that vampires are scared of him?"

I nodded.

"Man, I knew you were part-fairy but I didn't know you were royalty. Amelia told me you were really powerful for someone who's only one-eighth fae, and if you're his descendant I know why. Fairies from the royal line are much stronger than regular fae. What powers have you got now? There's that thing you did with the ball of energy in Eric's office, but I'm guessing that's the least of it?"

"Well..." I hesitated. "I can give people jolts of pleasure, that's what I did in Eric's office. I can also do it with pain, but I hate doing it. Not just because I don't like hurting people, but also because the icky energy I use to do it kind of seeps into me a bit, and I feel rotten afterwards. The pleasure one's fun though."

"And?" He could tell I hadn't told him about all of my new powers.

"I guess I have to tell you all this so you can train me, but please don't repeat any of it. I'm not sure I want people knowing yet."

"Of course."

"Telekinesis and teleportation. Those are the others I've got now."

He just nodded and seemed to be thinking hard. "What's the biggest thing you've moved around telekinetically?"

I blushed. "Um, Eric," I admitted softly.

He stared at me. "You pushed around Mr Thousand Year Old Viking Vampire? What, you just held out your hand and pushed him out of the way, without even touching him?"

"Watch the road, Quinn." I waited until he did before I continued. "I kind of... threw him a couple of yards and stuck him to the wall, about a foot off the ground."

He looked at me again, studying my face to see if I was telling the truth. Then he burst out laughing. His laughter rumbled around in his chest, sounding almost like thunder. "Ohmigod, I would pay anything to watch that! Did Amelia see it?"

"She didn't see me do it, but she felt magic being used and ran downstairs to see what was happening."

"He was still stuck to the wall when she came down?"

I nodded.

"That must've been the funniest sight! Did she laugh?"

I nodded again.

"And yet, she's still alive. I take it you threw him around some more after that and he liked it?" he teased.

I blushed bright red.

He laughed again. "So Eric the Viking likes being thrown around the bedroom by a 120 pound mostly-human woman. That's the funniest thing I've heard all year."

"I'm more like 135, and I didn't say that."

"Fine, I didn't hear it from you," he grinned. "But seriously, he's what, 6'4"? And he's pretty built, if he was human he'd be about 200 pounds but vampires are heavier, so he's about 250? And you stuck him to the wall, a foot off the ground. Could he move?"

"No."

"So he was stuck there and couldn't move _at all_?"

"He twitched a bit."

"Oh, I'll bet he twitched, stuck to the wall like that. So if he was still there when Amelia came downstairs, he was there at least a minute or two. How long did it last all up?"

I was confused. "You mean, how long until I let him go? I guess it was about 15 minutes or so he was like that, although I let him move his arms again when I was sure he wasn't going to strangle me."

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "You mean he stayed right where you put him until you let him go?"

I nodded.

"And you were able to let just his arms go first, but the rest of him was still stuck to the wall, right where you put him?"

"Well, I moved him down to ground level first."

He gave me a funny look and his thoughts turned jealous.

"You and Amelia!" I rolled my eyes. "It wasn't a kinky sex thing, dirty minded people. I gave him a hug to apologize, because I'd just thrown him across the room and stuck him to the wall. I moved him to ground level so I could hug him without sticking my face in his crotch. Then, when I knew he wasn't mad any more, I let his arms go so he could hug me back."

"Well, that's a relief," he replied, a little too happily.

"No, I waited 'til later to use my new power for sexual purposes." I stuck my tongue out at him. I knew I was being immature, but I didn't want him asking about my sex life.

"OK, point taken, I'll stop commenting," he conceded. "So how long do things stay where you put them?"

"I don't know."

"You haven't tried sticking something to a wall and seeing when it fell down?"

"I did that. Just some clothes and books though, not a whole person. But Amelia got mad at me so I took them down again."

"How long had they been there?"

"Three days or so."

"Three days? And they were all still where you put them?"

I nodded.

"That's pretty impressive."

"Thanks."

"You said you can teleport, too?"

"Only short distances so far. I haven't tried to go further yet. But I've got the hang of teleporting my clothes with me now."

He laughed. "So you haven't tried teleporting anyone else with you?"

"Not yet. But Niall left a protective amulet for Amelia, so I can practice with her. She says the amulet's some pretty hardcore magic, and that if I teleported her and she came out the way my clothes did the first time, it would put her right."

"I didn't see her wearing it. You should tell her to keep it on all the time, protective amulets only keep you safe from surprise attacks if you have them on when someone sneaks up on you, when you're not expecting a fight."

"She was wearing it, you just can't see it. It sort of melted into her skin when she put it on. Well, it's really just glamoured so you can't see it, but it looked like it melted into her skin."

He suddenly looked very curious. "What does this amulet look like?"

"Some kind of dark colored metal with a big red stone in it. When I bestowed it on her, it glowed."

"A Dearg amulet?" he sounded amazed.

"I have no idea. Whatever it was, Amelia was really impressed. Said it was priceless, some token of respect that fairies give their most valued human helpers. She said it won't give her any magical power or make her immortal -"

He interrupted, "- but it'll protect her from almost anything that could injure her. Most magic won't work on her, and any harm that befalls her through accident or malice will be undone immediately. She'll age naturally but she's unlikely to get sick, either. The amulet takes care of most pathogens and poisons. It's an incredibly powerful thing."

"Yeah, that's what she said about it."

"Why would Niall leave one of those for Amelia? What's she done to earn that kind of respect from him?"

"Honestly? I think it's so she can train me to use my fairy powers. I don't think she could do it without some sort of protection."

"That makes sense. I would guess he left some other things to help her, too?"

"A couple of books and a few objects. If I can master all the things he left me, she said I'll be able to defend myself really well."

"That's good to know."

"Exactly. I figure, if Amelia teaches me to use my fairy powers and the magical objects Niall left me, and you teach me to fight, I should be able to take care of myself in most situations."

"You will. I was planning to teach you to use your telepathy to anticipate your opponents' moves. Even if an opponent's much stronger than you, you can still beat them with speed and strategy. Your telepathy can help with both. I'll have to think some more about how you can use telekinesis, teleportation and those pain jolts, but they'll give you a real edge, too."

"My telepathy doesn't work on vampires though, and even Weres and shifters are difficult."

"Well, defending yourself against humans was my first priority."

I rolled my eyes. "I can take care of myself with humans, Quinn. I was a barmaid for years, I don't need self-defense 101."

"Babe, there are some really nasty humans out there. We need to make sure you can deal with them first."

"I can," I snapped. "I've been targeted by the Fellowship for years and I'm still here. They hardly even scare me any more."

"That's not a good thing. You never know what they might do next."

"Look, you don't know my history with the Fellowship. They can't do much to me that they haven't tried already."

"No, I don't know everything, but humans are capable of some pretty terrible stuff."

"What, like crucifying me? That's the latest one they tried."

He laughed out loud, then suddenly stopped. "You're serious?"

I nodded. "When my sister-in-law was crucified out the back of Merlotte's by Lochlan and Neave a few months ago, some idiots thought 'what a great idea' and went to Home Depot for some lumber so they could do the same to me, the local fangbanger. It only upset me because I used to be friends with one of the people, and because the assholes shot an FBI agent who has kids."

"How did you get out of it alive?"

"I read their minds and figured out what they were up to. I've helped one of the local cops a few times so when I called him and told him what I knew, he came. He brought these FBI agents who were sent to recruit me after Rhodes."

"You don't even sound upset about it."

"I've been through worse."

"God, I didn't know. What else did they do to you?"

I sighed. "It's a really long list."

"It's 45 minutes 'til we get to Red Ditch. There'll be plenty of time."

"I'll give you the quick version."

He looked stunned. "The quick version will take 45 minutes?"

I nodded and started recounting it all. I told him about the serial killer who killed my Gran and almost killed me, just because I was dating a vampire. I told him about being locked in the basement of the Fellowship's compound in Dallas and almost raped by one of their thugs, but saved by a suicidal vampire. I told him how the Fellowship showed up at a vampire's nest and shot everyone, but I survived because Eric shielded me with his body and took a bullet for me. I told him how a Fellowship nutjob staked me in a vampire bar in Jackson - me, one of the few humans in a room full of Supes - and how Eric healed me with his blood. I mentioned the bombing in Rhodes, but didn't need to explain because he was there. I told him I'd probably forgotten something along the way, but that was most of the stuff the Fellowship had tried.

When I finished, he stared at me for far longer than I would've liked, considering he was driving, before he spoke.

"God, I didn't know you'd been through so much. I knew you were strong, but you must be about ten times tougher than I thought you were to get through all that OK. I won't insult you with Self-Defense 101, I guess you're way past that already."

I shrugged. "That's just the stuff the Fellowship have tried," I replied darkly. When he looked at me curiously, I quickly added: "Some other time. I'm not in the mood."

He was quiet for a while, thinking. "Eric's saved your life a lot of times, hasn't he?" he asked eventually.

I nodded. "He's taken a few bullets for me, and he's healed me by giving me his blood a few times too."

"No wonder you're so attached to him. Amelia said it was just a sex thing." He sounded worried.

"She's half-right," I admitted. "Sex and saving each other's lives. That's about it. Most of the time, we can't have a conversation without screaming at each other."

"You saved his life?"

"A couple times. I woke him up and helped him get out at Rhodes. Then a few weeks ago I ran over this huge nasty vampire that was about to kill him and de Castro. And I hid him from some witches for a while when they cursed him and he wasn't as tough as usual, although he was in more danger of being enslaved than dying then." My voice trembled as I talked about that time.

He gave me an enquiring look, but didn't say anything. We were both silent again for a while. When we were about 10 minutes from Red Ditch, he finally spoke again.

"I'm so sorry I added to that list. You got dragged into de Castro's takeover because of me, and I'm really sorry about that."

"It was Eric's fault as much as yours," I said dismissively. "They were after him and he turned up at my place."

"I still did the wrong thing and I'm still sorry," he insisted. "I thought I was doing the right thing, avoiding you when I was in trouble, but I really underestimated you. You're as tough as I am in most ways, and I didn't give you credit for that. The timing was awful, too. You said you couldn't be with me unless I had time for you and I promised to take a month off to be with you... and I just disappeared instead. I can't imagine what you must've thought when I did that."

"I didn't know what to think," I admitted. "I tried not to feel hurt about it, but..." I trailed off.

"Sorry. I just made it worse by showing up at your place that day when I fought with Bill, didn't I? I gave you a hard time for not giving me a chance, but I never gave you a chance either. If I told you what was going on in my life, you would've been there for me, wouldn't you?" He stared at me, waiting for an answer.

"We can't ever really know that. But I wouldn't dump someone just because their life's messy and complicated. I'd be a total hypocrite if I did."

"Well, I'm not going away again. I don't care if you're with me or not, I'll be part of your life from now on. I promise."

"Please don't," I shook my head. "You're here for a month and I'll enjoy having you around, but please don't make promises."

He looked puzzled for a minute, then figured it out. "People break their promises to you."

"Men break their promises to me, Quinn. Especially men I've slept with. Going by past experience, when a man promises me something to get in my pants, it's not true and it's not going to happen."

"OK, no promises," he conceded. "I'll be here though."

"I'd like that," I admitted. I did enjoy having him around.


	3. Hunter

Quinn and I got to Remy's place at midday exactly.

Remy had been rude to Amelia on the phone and said he didn't want to see me again, but when she told him that Hunter had inherited some money, he changed his mind and insisted I come over immediately. I wasn't sure what to make of that. He called me in the middle of the Fairy War to ask for my help, but I wouldn't risk leading the fairies to Hunter so I told him I'd see him in about a month. It was less than a month later and he didn't want to see me. I wondered what had changed.

Quinn and I got out of his big green truck and walked up to Remy's front door. We knocked and he answered immediately. I introduced Quinn and he just nodded warily.

"Come in," he said tersely. "Hunter's not here."

He led us into his living room, and I saw in his mind that he was lying. He had shut Hunter in his room to make sure I couldn't talk to him. I felt hurt and more than a little worried.

_I guess you know he's lying. _Quinn told me._ The kid's here, in a room down the hall._

I nodded slightly.

_He's OK, a bit worried but I can't smell any injuries on him. I can hear him pushing a toy car or something around the floor._

I gave Quinn a tiny smile, then turned to Remy. "How are you? You mentioned that Kristen left... are you doing OK?"

"I'm fine," he said, but I saw in his head that he wasn't.

After she left him, Kristen told a few friends that Hunter was a freak and the rumor quickly spread around the whole town. Remy felt like he was getting funny looks and comments from everyone. He wasn't coping well with the pressure.

"I'm real sorry about Kristen," I told him.

"What's this about money?" His tone of voice said, _get to the point already_.

"A relative of ours left a trust fund for Hunter as well as Jason and I."

"Was it that old guy who came to visit? The weird one? Neil, he said his name was."

I was shocked. "Niall came to visit?"

"Yeah." He was thinking that his son got way worse after Niall's visit. "So how much money does Hunter get?"

"Two thousand dollars a month, adjusted for inflation, for the rest of his life. He'll get five months' payment up front though, because it fits better with the official story about where the money came from. You just need to sign some paperwork to say Hunter's money won't be used for anything illegal and give me your bank account details so the money can be wired to you each month."

I handed him the paperwork and he looked it over carefully, then signed it and gave me the copy to send to Mr. Cataliades. Then he got up and found his bank account details, which he wrote down on a slip of paper and handed to me.

I could see in his mind that he wanted us out as quickly as possible, but I wasn't going to leave without checking on Hunter.

"I'm real sorry to ask, Remy, but may I use the bathroom?" I asked sweetly. "It's been a long drive from Bon Temps and we didn't stop anywhere on the way."

He looked at me warily for a second, then said, "Up the hall, second door on the left."

I considered getting 'lost' and opening Hunter's door by mistake, but thought better of it. I went into the bathroom and locked the door. I sat down on the toilet and reached out with my mind.

_Hunter, it's Aunt Sookie. I'm real worried about you. Are you OK, honey?_

I heard him think that if he talked to me, he'd get in trouble again. He was scared.

_Hunter, why are you scared to talk to me? Nobody can hear us if we talk to each other in our heads._

_Is it really you, Aunt Sookie?_ he finally asked me.

_You know it's me. Can anyone else talk to you in your head? I know you can hear lots of people, but who else can hear you?_

_Nobody. Nobody else hears what people think. It's wrong to hear what people think._

_Who told you that?_

_Daddy._

_I'm real sorry he told you that, Hunter. He doesn't understand what we can do and he's scared of it. You're not doing anything wrong, you can't help it._

Just then, Quinn interrupted, projecting loudly. _Hurry up, Sook. He's getting suspicious. He's gonna check on you soon._

I stood up and flushed the toilet unnecessarily, to signal to Remy that I'd be out soon.

_Who was that?_ Hunter asked as I did. _They know about us and they don't mind?_

_It's my friend Quinn._

"Quinn!" Hunter squealed from the next room.

Just as I finished washing my hands and opened the bathroom door, the door to Hunter's room flung open. He tore past me, rushing into the living room as fast as his tiny legs would carry him. I hurried after him, barely keeping up. Remy and Quinn were standing when we got there. Hunter flung himself at Quinn, wrapping his arms around one of his huge legs.

"Quinn!" he squealed again.

"Hey little man," Quinn replied. He picked Hunter up and swung him around in a circle, then pulled him into his arms.

Hunter looked thrilled. "Quinn's the tiger!" he exlaimed. "Quinn's the tiger, Daddy! I told you Aunt Sookie would bring the tiger!"

Quinn and I exchanged a look, wondering how Hunter knew that about him. I sure hadn't mentioned it, and neither had he.

Remy shook his head, "I'm real sorry, he's like that a lot now. He's gotten very strange in the last few weeks. I'm trying to get some help for him, but nobody's quite sure what's wrong."

I saw Remy's concern and heartbreak in his mind; he was convinced that Hunter was mentally ill and wished he could afford a good child psychiatrist to help his son. No wonder he was so keen to get the money. Pity it wouldn't help.

"Remy, I can help Hunter. Please tell me what's going on? I can hear how much you want to help him, at least let me try?"

I sat down to make it clear I wouldn't leave until he told me what was wrong and Quinn followed my lead, still holding Hunter. The boy was completely at ease in his big, muscular arms, and I was pleased that he seemed to be good with children.

After a long pause, Remy relented and sat down too. "After Kristen left, I really needed some help because the whole town's talking and Hunter needs to start acting normal. We're starting to draw the wrong type of attention -"

"The Fellowship?" I interrupted.

He nodded and continued. "They're saying he's some sort of non-human, not a vampire or a werewolf but something else. How they could say that about a child..." he shook his head. "I was already wondering how I was going to deal with all this."

"But it's gotten worse since Niall visited you?" I prompted.

"Well... he pitched a terrible fit about three days before that man turned up. He was playing with his toys that evening, then all of a sudden he's lying on the floor screaming, saying the craziest things. I didn't know what to do."

"What did he say?" I asked.

Remy sighed loudly. "Really crazy stuff. He seemed to be having some sort of waking nightmare about you, Sookie. Kept screaming that the bad fairies had you, and that someone called Eric couldn't get away to save you."

All the blood drained from my face. "Did he say anything else?"

"He was screaming about them biting you, cutting you... really horrible stuff. After a couple of hours he just stopped, said the Prince and your ex had found you and you would live. I heard later than you'd been in a car accident and it happened the same time as he pitched the fit, so I thought maybe he felt you get hurt and made up the story because he didn't understand."

I was horrified. Poor Hunter! He had seen what the fairies did to me. I couldn't imagine how terrible it would be for a child to see all that, to feel it in my mind. It had almost broken me and I'm an adult.

Remy finally added, "I heard the car accident was real bad but you look OK now."

"King Eric healed her," Hunter replied immediately.

I stared at him, and before I could think better of it, I said "Eric's no King, Hunter."

"He will be," Hunter insisted, "if you and Quinn help him. You have to tell him about the Weres."

Quinn and I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"He comes out with stuff like that a lot," Remy told us apologetically. "When that weird old guy came to visit, Hunter spent the whole next day trying to convince me that Neil's some fairy Prince. Another day he was telling me that your friend Eric is a Viking. He's also been saying that he's going to go live with you, Sookie, and there'll be a King and a tiger there with you. He comes up with some real crazy stuff, even for a kid. Thinks he can see the future."

As odd an idea as it was, Hunter did know a lot of things he couldn't have skimmed from Quinn's and my thoughts - especially since he told his father about them days ago. I could tell that Hunter had some other talent as well as his telepathy, and while I was still really skeptical that anyone could see the future, I was curious to find out what Hunter's other talent was. I got up and moved to the seat next to Quinn, so I was sitting next to Hunter as well.

"Hunter, sweetie, what makes you think you can see the futue," I asked him gently.

"I just can. Look in my head and see."

I reached out and put my hands on either side of Hunter's face. "You know this'll hurt a bit?"

"It's OK, it won't hurt much. And after you see you'll believe me."

I reached into his mind and started looking around. It was overwhelming. I looked at what he knew about Quinn and saw thousands of images. It seemed that Hunter had months worth of memories of Quinn, but as far as I knew they had just met. I tried to look at them, but only his memories from today were organized in a way that made sense to me. Everything else branched off oddly, and some of the images were more distinct than others. The further I tried to follow a branch, the more images there were, and the fainter they all were. Among the stronger memories, I saw detailed images of Quinn and I training, at least one or two weeks' worth, but Quinn hadn't started training me yet.

I pulled back, confused. "Quinn, have you ever met Hunter before?"

"No, never."

"Hunter has months of memories of you in his mind, but they're all muddled up."

"That's 'cos they haven't happened yet," Hunter explained, speaking as though I was a little slow. I guess I was.

I stared at him. "Can I look at something else, Hunter?"

He nodded and I slid into his mind again. This time, I looked at what had happened to him a couple of weeks ago. I saw Niall visit and kiss Hunter on the top of his head, the same as he had to me. I felt how Niall's kiss felt to Hunter, and it was the same as the goodbye kiss Niall had give me; Hunter even felt healthier afterwards, just as I had.

"Remy, has Hunter been having nightmares? I mean, since Niall visited?"

Remy stared at me, his eyes hard and cold. "How did you know that?"

"I've had the nightmares, too," I explained. "Niall visited me as well. Hunter, what happens in your nightmares?"

My nephew looked really upset. "Bad things."

"I know it's hard to talk about, but in your dreams... are you killing things?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"In a really gross way, right?"

He nodded again.

"But in the dreams it seems, almost fun, I guess?"

He nodded again, wide-eyed. "Like Kristen and Daddy have fun."

Remy looked disgusted, but I ignored him. I realized he wouldn't like what I had to say next so I didn't say it out loud.

_Hunter, when you have those dreams, it's because a little part of you isn't human, and you have to decide if that part of you will be allowed to make you do those bad things. You have to take control of your dreams and stop what's happening in them._

"OK, Aunt Sookie, I'll try."

"Sweetie, make sure you can see what I mean," I told him, placing his hands against my face. I let him into my mind and thought about what I'd done to get the horrible dreams under control.

He flicked through the things I showed him quickly and then nodded. "I think I can do that."

"That's really good, sweetie. If you have any trouble, you call me. I don't mind what time it is, you call me if you need my help sorting out your nightmares."

"You can teleport over to see me!" He bounced excitedly.

_I'll do my best, but I'm still learning, _I told him.

Remy sighed loudly. "Just when I think someone's getting through to him."

A wave of frustration rolled off him, and in a flash I saw that he'd lost his temper and hit Hunter a couple of times when his son said something he found especially weird. I saw the bruises he had left on Hunter's upper arms when he grabbed his son one day, trying to shake some sense into him. He felt guilty about doing it, but he couldn't cope with what was happening and he couldn't think of any other way to deal with it. He had started rationalizing that his father hit him and he turned out OK, so it must be necessary sometimes when kids were being really naughty.

I knew I had to get through to Remy, to make sure he knew that Hunter wasn't being crazy or willful.

I got up and went back to my original seat, closer to Remy. "I need to tell you a few things and you really won't like them," I began. He just nodded. "Hunter's a very special child. I know you didn't ask to have a child who's so different to other children, but he's yours and he needs his Dad. There's more to the world than most people know, and Hunter's part of that.

"Vampires, Weres and shifters are the only Supes, uh, supernatural beings, that have made their existence public, but they're not the only ones out there. Hunter is right, Niall is a fairy. He's also right that Niall is a Prince. Niall is my great-grandfather and Hunter's great-great-grandfather, so we're both part-fairy too. That's why we're telepaths."

Niall once told me that my telepathy wasn't due to my fairy blood, but I figured it was a good enough explanation for Remy.

"Niall did something to Hunter and I, so that all our fairy powers would manifest right away," I continued. "I don't think Hunter's lying or crazy when he says he can see the future. What I saw in Hunter's head is different to anything I've seen in anyone's mind before, human or otherwise. It did look like he could see different possible futures branching out from today.

"He's also right about me being attacked by some bad fairies, and about my friend Eric healing me. He's right about Eric being a Viking, too. Eric's a vampire and he's about 1,000 years old; in his human life, he was a Viking. I can't tell you if Eric will become a King, but there is something I should tell him about some Weres.

"Hunter's even right about me being able to teleport, although I'm still learning and I can't go very far yet. I know this is all really hard to believe... would it be easier if I demonstrated?"

Remy just nodded, completely overwhelmed.

I teleported across the room and back a couple of times, with a loud '_pop_' each time. Remy's eyes widened. Then I snapped my fingers and my outfit changed into the lemon-yellow ball gown I had conjured up a couple of days ago. I snapped them again and the outfit changed back. Hunter clapped his hands and squealed in delight. I reached my hand out and gave a little upward gesture, and Hunter floated up out of Quinn's lap. I turned my hand and Hunter did a somersault in mid-air, clapping and laughing the whole time. I lowered my hand and he floated back down into Quinn's lap.

I was pretty pleased with my little display, and Quinn and Hunter were both impressed, but Remy clearly wasn't. His mouth was pressed into a tight line and I could feel his mind reeling, wondering what else I was capable of.

"I'm sorry, Remy. I know this is a lot to take in. Hunter isn't crazy, he's just different. He can't help what he is, and he can't choose not to be a telepath or a seer. I can help him learn to control his abilities so he can live a normal life. I'll train him if you'd like?"

_What's a seer?_ Hunter asked as I spoke to his father.

_Someone who can see the future, like you can,_ I answered._  
_

_Oh. There's a name for it? I'm not just weird, I'm a seer!_

_That you are, and you're very special. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise._

"I'll think about it," Remy answered me. Then he tried to make light of the situation. "Well, at least he's wrong about your friend being a tiger," he said with a big fake grin.

Quinn and I exchanged a look.

"Actually," Quinn corrected, "the little guy is right about that too. I'm like a werewolf, but I turn into a tiger."

"See Daddy!" Hunter said happily, "I told you he's a tiger!"

"I know it's hard to believe. I can't change fully in here because there's not enough room, but I'll change partially if you want?"

"Change! Change!" yelled Hunter.

Remy just nodded. Quinn held his right arm out and the air started to crackle with magic. Long claws descended from his fingers first, and then his whole hand turned into a large tiger paw. His forearm wasn't fully changed but it was even bigger than usual, and had fur and striped markings that grew fainter the further up his arm they went. Hunter squealed with delight again. He was still sitting in Quinn's lap, leaning over to touch his paw. Quinn obligingly moved his paw towards Hunter and let the child examine it for a few moments. Then he held it out again and changed it back into a hand, as my nephew stared in wonder.

Remy looked disgusted. I saw in his mind that he was starting to dislike non-humans intensely, and he was angry that I brought a weretiger into his home.

"Hunter, come over here," he commanded. He didn't like Quinn touching his child, now he knew what he was.

Hunter got up slowly, reluctantly. Quinn helped him to his feet, but Hunter paused for a moment before he went to his father.

"Quinn," Hunter whispered, "you have to keep your promise to Aunt Sookie. The one you made in the car. You have to trust her when your Mom's in trouble. Don't leave her alone and go by yourself. If you do, Sookie will get hurt really bad again. She might die. Please don't let Aunt Sookie die. You have to trust her. If you ask her for help, everyone will be OK. Please trust her."

As Hunter spoke, he looked much older than his almost-five years. Seeing everyone's future was a heavy burden for a small child, even if he was part-fairy. He went to stand by his father and Remy dismissed us abruptly.

As he saw us out, I asked my nephew one last question.

_Hunter, is your Dad going to be OK with this? What do you see in your mind?_

He flashed a series of images back at me. Remy had already hit Hunter out of despair before; he didn't know how to handle his son's telepathy. If Hunter's visions were accurate, things were going to get a lot worse. Remy wasn't going to cope well with this at all. I saw now why Hunter might end up living with me instead; it wouldn't be easy for Remy to raise him.

_I'm so sorry, sweetie. If he tries to hurt you, you call me. I'm your fairy godmother now, I'll teleport over to look after you._

_It's OK Aunt Sookie. It's only going to happen a few times. Then I get to live with you. You'll be my Mom and Quinn and King Eric will be my Dads. It will be really fun. I'll be able to help you all stay safe._

Funny as the image of Eric and Quinn as joint fathers was — or the image of Eric as a parent at all — I felt incredibly sad when I left the house. As soon as Quinn and I were back in the car I started crying, for what Hunter had been through and what he still might go through, just for being different.

I swore I wouldn't let Hunter be harmed; I would do whatever it took to keep him safe.


	4. Help

Andy Bellefleur came to my house after he finished work that afternoon. Andy is a local detective who knows about my 'gift'. He doesn't like me or my family much, but I've helped him out a couple of times so we're on OK terms.

When Quinn and I left Remy's place, we briefly discussed what Hunter told me told me telepathically, then drove home in silence, both trying to think of a way to help my nephew. Remy loved Hunter dearly, but he was completely overwhelmed. He cared for his son enough to want a normal life for him, and every time Hunter's gifts made themselves known, Remy felt he had to stop him. He had lost control and struck him in anger twice already, and shook him another time, but he convinced himself he was disciplining his son to help him learn right from wrong. I knew that violence and censure couldn't stop Hunter being a telepath or a seer though; that's just who he is.

"Andy, thank you for coming," I greeted him as I answered the door.

I had called to ask him to come see me as soon as I got home from Red Ditch, and he agreed to visit when he finished work for the day.

"Hi Sookie."

"Come on in. Can I get you anything? There's sweet tea in the fridge if you'd like some?"

"Sure. That's real kind of you."

I walked down the hallway to the kitchen and he followed me. Amelia and Quinn were sitting at the kitchen table talking about something, but they stopped when Andy walked in.

"Andy, this is my friend Quinn who's staying with me for a few days, and you remember Amelia."

"Pleased to meet you," Andy shook Quinn's hand. "Amelia," he nodded.

Quinn excused himself, and Amelia got up and busied herself preparing dinner, ignoring Andy and I.

"Please take a seat." I handed him a big glass of sweet tea and poured one for myself as well.

"What can I do for you, Sookie?" Andy asked anxiously.

I could hear in his thoughts that my call worried him because trouble seemed to follow me around. He was even more suspicious than usual because the FBI visited me recently, and he was sure that meant I was up to something. He was determined that he would be the one to bust me if I was, not some fancy Feds.

"I need your advice, Andy," I asked in my sweetest voice. "It's about a child whose parents are being a bit heavy-handed in disciplining them, and I overheard - " I tapped my head - "some things that make me think the child's in danger."

Andy looked worried. "Anyone I know?"

"Probably not, they live a couple of towns over."

"Has the child been injured?"

"So far, their upper arms have been badly bruised from being shaken, and they've had some really nasty bruises on their backside because the father lost control while they were spanking them with a ruler. Twice. It's starting to be a pattern, the child's father loses control while he's disciplining the kid and goes too far. I don't think he means harm, but the kid is being hurt."

He nodded somberly. "That's a bad situation. Nobody's going to intervene about him overdoing a spanking, but shaking a child is more serious. It can hurt a child badly."

I nodded. "I know. But I'm even more worried about what might happen..."

He sighed loudly. "Sookie, I wish I could help every child whose parents are hurting them, but I can't. It has to be real bad before the police can do anything, mostly we just call Social Services and hope they investigate."

"I figured that, Andy, and I don't expect you to rush over there to save this child. I just need to know how things work, so I know who to call and what to do if things get worse."

Andy nodded then. "If the child cops a full-on beating, just take them to hospital. Even if it's a day or two later and they're healing OK. The hospital will keep records of the injuries, and if they're suspicious they'll call Social Services. It might take a few trips to hospital, though, especially if the parents are good at explaining the injuries away." His voice was flat and emotionless, and I could feel how detached he had to be to do his job. I felt a rush of sympathy for him, seeing such awful things every day.

"That's good to know. I really hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, I'll make sure the child gets to the emergency room as quickly as I can. I'm keeping an eye on things."

"I'm glad someone's looking out for this child. That improves their chances a lot."

I nodded. "If the child is taken away from their parents, where will they be sent?"

He sighed loudly again. "They'll try to find some relatives to look after the kid for a while. If there's no family, they'll go into foster care. But even if the child's beaten up real bad, it's hard to get them away from the parents permanently. Social Services will take them away for a while, but if it seems like the parents might change, they'll send the kid right back."

"So close relatives get priority when they decide who to place the child with?"

"Yes. Grandparents, aunts and uncles are the usual ones. Occasionally an older brother or sister, if they're adults."

"What if the child has... special needs?"

He stared at me for a moment. "What kind of special needs are we talking about here?"

I wasn't sure what to tell him; I didn't want to say anything that could identify Hunter. I was still trying to work out what to say to him, when he spoke again.

"This child is like you," he whispered, astonished.

"Something like that," I admitted. "Their parents want them to be normal so badly that they're losing control and hurting the child, just for being different. The child really can't help it."

He sat there stunned for a moment, before commenting. "If there really is a child like you out there, you probably are the best person to care for them, but I can't see you convincing anybody of that."

"I figured as much."

"How would you care for a child, anyway? Merlotte's sure doesn't pay enough."

Amelia looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. "You're not the only one with 'distant relatives'," she made air quotes, holding up two fingers on either side of her face.

Andy shot an accusatory look at me. "You know where the money really came from."

He was referring to the large sum of money his family had inherited recently, supposedly from a distant relative in Europe. The money had really come from Bill Compton, who is Andy's great-great-great-grandfather. I could 'hear' that Andy had been suspicious about the real source of the money; as a detective, he was good at spotting things that didn't quite add up.

"Andy, I've been sworn to secrecy. Amelia shouldn't have said anything. I'll be much more careful about sharing other people's confidences with her in future," I glared at her.

"Hey, he's got a right to know," she shrugged.

"So you do know, but you won't tell me," Andy accused.

"I'm sorry, but I gave my word." He looked so cross that I relented a little. "Look, all I can tell you is we both have ancestors who aren't human who are helping us out financially."

Andy looked shocked and disgusted; he wasn't a fan of Supes. "What sort of non-humans?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe what my relatives are if I told you," I smiled, ignoring what he really meant. "Let's just say, they're not vampires, and they're not Weres or shifters, but they're the subject of just as many stories and legends. Maybe more."

He looked at me curiously and was just about to ask another question when there was a knock on the front door. Before I could get up to answer it, Quinn had opened the door.

"Sookie, it's for you. You need to come to the door," he yelled to me.

"Will you excuse me for just a moment, Andy?" I asked as I slid out of my chair. He nodded and I headed to the door.

_Be careful, it's a vamp,_ Quinn projected.

"Hello," I greeted the male vampire as I made it to the doorway.

I had never seen him before; I would definitely have remembered him if I had. He was a little over six foot and looked like he'd done a lot of manual labor in his human lifetime: he was lean but very muscular. He was dressed like a construction worker in beat-up jeans, safety boots and a worn t-shirt. He had tousled sandy brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was a good looking man, with a baby-faced appearance that was an odd but very pleasing contrast to his rugged physique. A dark tan would have completed his appearance, but being a vampire, he was deathly pale beneath his abundant freckles.

"Miss Stackhouse, I'm James Conley. Eric sent me to meet with you. I'm a contractor; I specialize in vampire accommodations."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr Conley. What can I do for you?"

"Eric said you wanted to install some day spaces on your property while you get the place restored."

I could feel Quinn standing behind me, with a mixture of anger and worry rolling off him. I reached out a little further with my mind and could 'hear' that Andy was interrogating Amelia, trying to find out exactly what she knew about the Bellefleur's recent windfall. I had to get back to her before she spilled any more information.

"I have company at the moment, and I need a few minutes to finish up before I can speak with you. Are you able to wait?"

"Sure, I need to have a look around your property anyway, to see what I can do here. Would you mind if I start now?"

"Of course, go right ahead."

"When you're ready to speak to me, just call out and I'll be with you straight away."

"Thanks, I won't keep you waiting long."

He hopped off the porch steps and started walking around the house. I closed the front door and turned to Quinn, who was still standing right behind me.

"Would you mind calling Pam or whoever your contact is among Eric's people while he's away?"

"Sure," he replied. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I hope. Just check that Mr Conley is who he says he is?"

"Good idea." He pulled out his phone and started dialing.

I motioned that I was going back to Andy and Quinn nodded, so I headed into the kitchen. When I got there, Andy was still interrogating Amelia. I gestured for him to sit back down and sat down at the table when he did.

"Please, Andy, I'm sworn to secrecy and I won't break my promise. I told you more than I should've already, and I hope Amelia didn't open her big mouth about anything else." I gave her a pointed look and she shook her head, then went back to her cooking.

"Fine," he replied tersely. "But I will find out."

"I'm sure you will, I don't doubt that. I just can't be the one to give you that information," I told him firmly.

He nodded. "I won't ask any more."

"Thanks Andy, and thank you for your advice as well. I'll make sure the child I mentioned goes to hospital each time their parents go too far in punishing them. Hopefully they'll be removed before things get too bad." I was sad when I said it.

"I thought about that a bit more, this child being special and all. If they have relatives around who would take them in, Social Services will want to place the child with them, even though you're... more qualified to care for this kid. I think the only way you'll end up caring for this child, is if the parents decide you should and leave them with you."

I thought about it for a second. "I'll have to think about that. I'm not even sure I want to raise a child, but I can't leave them to be beaten up just for being who they are, either."

"Well, it sounds like you have money to care for this child now, if you do wind up looking after them."

I nodded. "I inherited enough to take good care of them if it comes to that. I can get some of the repairs around here done at last, too. That was one of the contractors at the door before; I've got to go talk to him in a minute."

"Boy, do I know about that," he smiled. Most of the Bellefleur's 'inheritance' went into restoring the family mansion. "I'll get out of your hair then."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to rush you out, Andy."

"Don't worry about it. I'm meeting some people for dinner in a few minutes, so I'd better go. Bye Amelia."

"Bye Andy," she replied without looking up from the stove.

I started showing him to the front door but when we were halfway down the hall, I heard blood-curdling growls coming from outside. It sounded like two very large, very angry predators were preparing to kill one another. Quinn was already at the door. He opened it a crack and peaked out.


	5. Fight

_Two vampires fighting on your lawn,_ Quinn reported. _That idiot Bill Compton is laying into Conley._

I was showing Andy Bellefleur out after getting his advice about helping Hunter, while Amelia cooked dinner in the kitchen. Eric had sent James Conley, a contractor who specialized in vampire accommodations (and is a vampire himself) to work on my house. Now Bill was beating him up. Perfect, I thought sarcastically.

I sighed. "I'll sort this out."

"Are you sure you should go out there, babe? They're pretty mad."

I glared at him and he moved out of my way. I opened the door the rest of the way and stepped onto the porch. Bill had James in a headlock and was just managing to stay upright while James struggled.

"Stop it, Bill!" I yelled. "Take your hands off him right now."

"I caught this bastard snooping around your woods," Bill snarled back, still holding James. "He's a vampire, Sookie."

"I know, Eric sent him. Let him go."

"Are you sure? I don't know this one," he asked. He seemed less angry, but he and James were still struggling.

I sighed. "I'm certain. Quinn?"

When I mentioned Quinn's name, Bill's gaze snapped up to me, then flicked to Quinn. He glared at his rival with utter hatred.

"Pam confirmed that Eric sent him. She even sent me an email with his picture," Quinn confirmed. "He's allowed to be here."

Bill released James and spoke in his iciest voice, "I suppose Eric sent you too, tiger?"

I stomped over to Bill. Quinn started to follow me but I motioned him to stay back, so he and Andy remained on my porch.

"Not that it's any of your business Bill Compton, but Eric did send Quinn here. He's my guard while Eric's away."

James moved away from Bill quickly and started towards the porch, then changed his mind and came to my side instead, facing Bill. I realized he was there to back me up if I needed help, even though Bill was clearly older and stronger than him. I didn't expect it, and found it a curious development. Vampires don't often rush to protect humans.

"HE's your day guard?" Bill screamed. "HIM? That striped bastard gave you a head injury last time he saw you and now Eric's letting him guard you?"

Bill was standing much closer to me than I would've liked, yelling down at me as though it were my fault Eric decided to let Quinn be here. Which it was, but it was also none of Bill's business why he was here at all.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Quinn launch himself off the porch, his fingers already turning into claws.

I glared back and forth between the two of them. "You were both fighting, remember? Are you idiots determined to give me concussion again? Or will it be some other injury this time?"

They both paused, a few yards apart, as I kept glaring at them. James stayed right at my side, making sure I was OK.

Bill spoke first. "The day shift is over. I'll just wait here 'til he's gone."

I sighed. "He's staying here, Bill."

Quinn grinned triumphantly, and Bill responded by advancing towards him.

"STOP IT!" I screamed. "Stop it, both of you!"

They were standing a few feet apart now, circling one another. Bill's fangs were all the way down and his hands were curled into claws. Quinn was starting to shift; his eyes had lengthened and changed color, his jaw had distorted to accommodate sharp tiger fangs, and both his hands had sprouted huge claws.

I knew I had to stop them before they got started, because once they were fighting there would be no way to separate them. I stepped between them as they circled one another and James looked at me as though I was crazy. I probably was.

"Back off, both of you," I told them sternly. "Don't make me separate you."

Quinn started to do as I asked, but when he saw that Bill was ignoring me, he changed his mind and kept circling me.

"Fine," I muttered. "The hard way, it is."

I held out one hand towards each of them and threw as much energy as I could muster to push them apart. I expected them to be pushed back a few feet, but to my amazement, they were both tossed through the air until they hit something. Quinn was relatively lucky because a tree branch stopped him about 12 feet away. The branch broke and landed on top of him, but he picked himself up gingerly a few seconds later. Bill was thrown in the opposite direction and didn't hit a tree until he was a few feet into the woods, at least 30 yards from where he had been standing. He gained altitude the whole way and he was about 20 feet in the air when he hit the tree. He fell to the ground with a loud thud.

I was too cross to check on either of them. I could feel that they were both alive and beyond that I didn't care; they would heal.

That was when Andy stepped off the porch and marched towards his car, his thoughts in turmoil. I headed towards him.

"Andy, wait!" I exclaimed. "It's not as bad as it looks, honest."

"Really?" He yelled, almost hysterical. "You mean that wasn't two vampires and some sort of were-lion-thing fighting on your front lawn? You mean you didn't just throw them through the air _without even touching them_? What are you, Sookie? You act so helpless but you're something really nasty too. What kind of creature throws around vampires and were-things like that?

"No child should grow up in a place like this! Surrounded by violent freaks, what kind of life is that? Even a child like _you_" - he spat the word out with evident distaste - "deserves something better than this!"

He was entertaining thoughts pulled straight from a horror movie, like me wanting a child so I could eat it, sacrifice it or something equally awful. He was almost at his car and I knew I couldn't let him leave in the state he was; there was no telling what he would do when he was so upset.

I looked around for a vampire. Bill still hadn't reappeared but James was by my side, where he had stayed the whole time.

"You any good at glamouring people?" I whispered, far too quietly for human hearing.

James nodded and a moment later, he was right in front of Andy.

"Stop," he commanded, looking into Andy's eyes. "Stay right here."

Andy immediately stopped moving, frozen to the spot.

"Thanks, James," I said gratefully. "Could you glamor him for me, please? He needs to think he walked out my front door, went to his car and left immediately. He didn't hear growling outside; Quinn and I didn't discuss what we would do about the fight; he didn't see Bill fighting with you out here; he didn't see Bill and Quinn facing off; and he certainly didn't see me throw them around. Come to think of it, you didn't see that last part, either." I winked at him.

"Got it," he said.

"I guess I'd better stash Quinn somewhere before we let Andy go?"

He nodded, and I went over to check on Quinn.

"You're intact?" I asked tartly.

"I'll live," he replied sheepishly. "Sorry, babe. I deserved that."

"You said it," I snapped, then softened a little. "OK, apology accepted. Check on Bill for me, please? Don't fight with him."

"Fine," he sighed.

Quinn wandered towards the woods in no apparent hurry. I went back to James, who was in the middle of glamoring Andy.

"I've wiped all his memory from when he got up to leave your kitchen," he informed me.

"Perfect."

"I'll move him back to your hallway and you can show him out again without the floor show. Just act like nothing happened."

"Done. You're invited into my house."

James picked up Andy and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, then carried the stout detective back inside with ease. I went to check on Bill.

When I got to the edge of the woods, Quinn was helping him walk out from amongst the trees. Bill had open wounds all over him, some of them really deep and nasty, plus it looked like he had a few broken bones – which would put a human in hospital for weeks, but generally wouldn't bother a vampire. He didn't look like he was healing at all though; he was still weak from the silver poisoning he got in the Fairy War, and he was leaning heavily on Quinn to stay upright.

I tried to feel bad about hurting him, but found I was still too angry. If James hadn't been there to glamor Andy, Bill's decision to pick fights with both of the other males on my property might have had terrible consequences. If Hunter needed somewhere to stay because his father hurt him, but Andy thought I was some sort of monster and tried to stop it... I would never forgive Bill if his territorial vampire crap put my nephew in danger, no matter how indirectly. I realized with a start that if I had to kill to protect Hunter – even kill someone I otherwise liked – I would do it in a heartbeat, and I wouldn't regret it. _Just like a real fairy godmother_, I thought.

But I still had two injured idiots and a glamored detective to deal with before I could think about that.

"Head around the back, but don't let Andy see you," I told Bill and Quinn. "James wiped his memory and I'll show him out again, this time without any fighting. Assuming you two can manage that?"

They both nodded and headed around the side of the house; I went to the front porch and walked inside. James had Andy in the hallway, waiting for me to show him out.

"Thanks, James. He was walking in front of me to the door, so maybe we could pretend he had a little dizzy spell on the way out?"

James arranged Andy accordingly. "I need to be here to release him from my glamor."

I nodded. "Can you make him actually have a dizzy spell when you release him, to give you a few seconds to scoot into one of the bedrooms?" I gestured at the door to the spare room where Quinn was staying.

"Sure." He turned to Andy and stared in his eyes. "When I release you, you'll feel really dizzy for a few seconds, but you won't fall over. You'll steady yourself against the wall and then you'll be OK." He looked at me. "Ready?"

I nodded and stood behind Andy, as though I were following him to the door. I motioned to James and he snapped his fingers, then disappeared at vampire speed into the bedroom. Andy was released from his trance and swayed for a few seconds, leaning against the wall.

"Oh my, Andy! Are you OK?" I asked sweetly, my hand on his arm to steady him.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. It's passing already."

He walked to the front door as though nothing had happened. Even the broken tree branch had been tucked around the side of the house out of sight. I wasn't sure who had taken care of it, but I was grateful to them regardless.

Andy went out to his car without incident and I waved to him from the porch as he drove away.


	6. Vamp safe

When I went back into the kitchen, Amelia, Bill, Quinn and James were all there. I had just waved goodbye to Andy Bellefleur, who James had glamored so he wouldn't remember Bill and Quinn fighting – or me separating them a little too forcefully.

I had only just met James, but I liked him already; he stayed by my side while I broke up the fight, even though Bill is older and stronger than him, then he helped me fix up the resulting mess by glamoring Andy. I figured he was probably also the one who hid the broken tree branch; Bill was in no state to do it and Quinn had been busy helping him into the house.

It was dinner time and Amelia was serving up spaghetti bolognese for Quinn, herself and I. James stood in the corner in vampire downtime, while Bill and Quinn sat at opposite ends of the table, as far apart as possible, glaring at each other. Bill looked sick. Bill and James hadn't really been introduced, so I figured I should start with some civility.

"James, meet my neighbor Bill Compton," I told him.

"The database guy," James said as he nodded. "Pleased to meet you," he added sarcastically; he had already met Bill's fangs and claws, so it wasn't surprising he was less than thrilled with him.

"Bill, meet James Conley, who Eric sent to help me out," I continued.

Bill nodded at James, in the customary vampire greeting. "Sorry I attacked you before."

James just nodded back.

"I guess you and Amelia have met?" I asked James.

"Yes, your lovely roommate introduced herself a few minutes ago."

With introductions out of the way, I got on with the tasks at hand.

"Bill, how much blood do you need?" I asked.

"Two or three bottles please, if you have them."

"Coming right up." I removed two bottles from the fridge, took off the caps and put them in the microwave together. "James, would you like to join us for dinner? I'll warm up a True Blood for you and we can talk about your work over dinner."

"That's very kind of you, Miss Stackhouse. I'd love to."

"Please, call me Sookie. You just glamoured a police detective for me, I think we're on first-name terms now," I smiled. I was warming to James; he had helped me out without asking questions and I liked that. "I only have O negative, will that do?"

"Sure, Sookie."

I removed Bill's True Bloods from the microwave and put one in for James. I turned each freshly-warmed bottle over carefully to make sure there were no hot or cold spots and took them both over to Bill. He and Quinn were both quite a sight, with torn clothes, smears of blood and leaves all over them.

"Quinn, go get cleaned up for dinner," I ordered. "You look like you picked a fight with a vampire. Wash all the blood off and put on some clothes that aren't torn."

He saw that I wasn't kidding and got up from the table. He limped a little as he went into my room to use my bathroom; he was sharing it with me while he stayed with us so Amelia still had the other one to herself. She had insisted he keep out of her bathroom, but I suspected it was only because she was trying to get Quinn and I back together. She thought I would walk in on him naked one day and jump him immediately. She might be right; he's a very attractive man.

I removed the True Blood for James from the microwave, turned it over a couple of times, then set it on the table in front of an empty chair and gestured to him.

Bill didn't look well enough to clean himself up so I found a plastic tub, a washcloth and some hand soap to use on him. I pumped a little hand soap into the tub and filled it with warm water, put the washcloth in it and walked over to the table. I took the seat next to him and started wiping the blood off his face and arms without asking. He looked relaxed and grateful while I tended to him, and after his first bottle of blood, his cuts and scrapes began to slowly heal.

As I cleaned Bill up, Amelia asked what happened and I filled her in. She laughed when I told her I pushed the idiot males apart a bit too hard and said she wished she'd come outside to see it. She added that it served them right for picking fights with fairies. When she said that, James' eyes snapped to me and I reminded him that he didn't see a thing. He just nodded.

When Quinn walked back in, clean and neatly dressed, I felt a flare of anger and jealousy from him. He even hissed at Bill, like a territorial cat.

"Not a word, Quinn," I said firmly. "Bill got silver poisoning saving me from those horrible fairies and he's still not healing the way he used to. Someone's got to clean him up so us weak-stomached humans can eat our dinner with him around. He won't be well enough to get himself home 'til he's had at least another bottle or two of blood. Besides, I still owe him from the last time my new fairy powers got a little out of control a couple of days ago. Sorry about that."

"Forget about it," Bill said firmly. I didn't need to read his mind to know he didn't want anyone remembering how silly he looked in a tutu; Amelia blackmailed me into making him wear one when we discovered I could conjure up any outfit I wanted, and it was a very funny sight.

Quinn took his seat again and Amelia placed a huge bowl of pasta in front of him, then set down two smaller bowls for her and I. I insisted that they start eating while I finished cleaning Bill, then put the tub in the laundry sink.

"Bill, how much more blood do you need?" I asked as I cleared away the two empty bottles in front of him.

"I could use a couple more if you have them?"

"Sure." I took two more bottles from the fridge, popped the tops and microwaved them. When they were ready I turned each of them a couple of times and took them to him. Then I was able to sit down and eat my own dinner.

"You two can be civil for long enough for me to eat this, right?" I asked, glaring at Quinn and Bill.

They were back at opposite ends of the table, as far from one another as they could get. Amelia and I sat on either side of Quinn, at our usual spots at the kitchen table, and James sat between Amelia and Bill.

"Neither of us will piss you off again for a while," Quinn chuckled.

Bill nodded his agreement.

"Good," I told them. "You're both my friends, and I'd like to be able to have both of you in my life. But if you insist on fighting every time you bump into one another, neither of you will be welcome here. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly," Quinn smiled.

"Sure," Bill agreed.

James was smiling broadly. "I love fairies," he chuckled.

"Don't even think about it," Bill glared at him.

"Don't worry, I don't mean it like that," James assured him. "I don't go silly at the smell of fairies like other vampires do, it's a quirk of mine. I don't get high on their blood, either. I just like fairies because they're so feisty. I guess that's why Eric got me to come down from Minnesota for this job, if his bonded is a halfling."

"You came all the way from Minnesota?" I asked incredulously.

"Eric called me last night and got me on a plane immediately. Something about his bonded having quite a temper, so he wants the job done before you can get mad at him and change your mind. I thought he must be nuts, bonding with some temperamental woman, but now that I've met you I understand completely. This job is worth the travel time already, watching you put Quinn and a vampire who's a lot older than me in their place like naughty school boys!" James laughed.

"Yeah, wish I had my video camera out for that," Amelia agreed. "Can you imagine the blackmail potential?"

I glared at Amelia and changed the subject. "So what did Eric tell you about the work that needs to be done here, James?"

"I mentioned that I build vampire accommodations, right?" he asked me.

"You did," I confirmed.

"Well, Eric sent me to install some day spaces. He said you offered to have some built while you were having other work done here. He said to tell you he's paying to make the place vamp-safe because it's expensive and you're only doing it for him. And then he said to tell you that he insists and to ask you not to argue about it and say the magic word a few times."

I laughed. "Well, if he insisted that you say the magic word, I guess I'll let him pay for the vamp-proofing. I am doing it for him."

"That's good. He'll be pleased I didn't have to tell you it was your birthday present and he can still get you a proper car."

I rolled my eyes. "You can tell him that's not going to happen. I like my car."

"He told me you'd say that. And here I thought fairies were unpredictable," he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes at him.

When Amelia let that exchange slide without comment, I knew something must be wrong. She was rarely this quiet, especially when she had the opportunity to tease me about something. I tuned into her thoughts for a few moments to find out what was going on. She was thinking about the conversation I had with Andy about Hunter, and about the situation my nephew was stuck in for now. She knew more than she wanted to about parents who get carried away in 'disciplining' their children and wind up hurting them. She was upset to be unable to help Hunter and worried about what might happen to him.

I made a mental note to talk to her about it later and tuned back into what James was saying.

"He told me to ask you nicely to let me coordinate all the repairs you're getting done. It'll be much easier to hide the vamp-proofing if the workmen are here doing other jobs too. It's a security thing, I break the job up so that even the people who built the spaces don't know much about them. Vampires' resting places aren't safe if humans know where they are."

"OK, I'll let you coordinate, but I'm paying for everything except the vamp-proofing and the day spaces."

James chuckled again. "He told me you'd say that. I'll bill you at a regular contractor's rates though; I charge a lot more than a normal contractor and Eric said to ask you nicely to let him pay the difference."

I sighed. "I can only really afford a normal contractor's rates, so I guess I have to accept."

"Fantastic! I'm so glad you beat them up before, you're much less argumentative than Eric said you'd be."

_Wow, Amelia must be really upset to resist commenting on that, _I thought to myself.

"I'm only argumentative with people who don't know how to ask politely. Feel free to tell Eric that, too," I snapped.

"Oh, I will," he smiled broadly, showing some fang. "So what repairs need to be done around here? I see that the exterior needs to be re-painted, and some of the fences are down. The gutters look like they might need some work, too, I'll get up on the roof and check them tonight. And your garden would look a lot nicer with new borders around the flower beds."

I nodded. "All on the list. Some of the windows don't open properly any more, so they need to be fixed, too. I'm also considering painting a few rooms where the walls have marks I can't clean off, but that'll depend on how much everything else costs. If you spot any other things that need work, let me know and I'll see if I can afford it."

"Sure, I'll take a look around after dinner and see if anything else needs to be done."

Bill decided to join the conversation then. "Sookie, why are you doing all this now?" he asked curiously.

"I just inherited some money, so I can finally catch up on all the maintenance I've been neglecting."

He looked surprised. "You couldn't afford to repaint your house before? Or fix all those windows that don't open?"

"No Bill, I couldn't," I snapped. "Lucrative as waiting tables is, I could never quite make my huge salary stretch to all the things that have to be done to a hundred fifty year old farmhouse."

James chuckled and shook his head. "Fairies," he laughed.

Bill looked stunned. "I didn't know you had money problems. I would have helped if I had known."

I rolled my eyes. "Everyone in Bon Temps knows I'm poor, Bill. Even Eric figured it out. You never got the memo?"

"Even I knew and I don't live anywhere near Bon Temps," Quinn said proudly. I just glared at him.

"You're not poor any more," Amelia interrupted.

Bill looked like he was about to say something else and I was sick of discussing my finances with a whole table full of people, including one who I'd just met, so I quickly thought of something else to say.

"James, what did Eric ask you to do here?" I asked. "I mean, to make the place vamp-safe?"

"Well, he said to ask you nicely about all of it and to say please lots of time so you would agree," he smiled at me. "He said you offered to have some hiding spots built for him, maybe even a small cellar, so that he has a few options when he stays here during the day. He asked that some be inside the house and that others be around the property."

"You're planning to have _him_" - Bill said the word with evident distaste - "around a lot," he muttered miserably.

"I don't know what I'm planning, but having him around makes me happy and I want him to feel safe here," I told him honestly.

Bill and Quinn exchanged a look, equally sad to hear Eric might be around more. James noticed it immediately.

"You're _both_ after the Northman's woman? Pam must love this!"

I pointedly ignored him and changed the subject.

"The hidey holes will be fine," I told him. "Just let me know where you want to put them. There's more though, isn't there? I can't see Eric stopping at a couple of small cubby holes."

"He wanted me to ask you about getting shutters put on your windows and light-proofing the doors, so the house can be darkened during the day when you have company."

"And?" I asked him. He looked surprised. "Shutters and door seals are fine, but this is still way too modest a plan for Eric."

James laughed. "I guess he's pretty predictable, too. You're right, he did want me to ask you about something else. He'd really like to build an underground day suite here as well. It's like a big cellar, but fitted out like a small apartment. Doing that takes some major earthworks and plumbing though, so it's harder to hide what's happening. He has a plan, though."

"Go on," I said warily.

A thought was forming in my mind; something about James. His sense of humor reminded me of someone – the way he teased people seemed oddly familiar. So few vampires had a sense of humor at all, but James'... I felt sure I knew it from somewhere. Plus he was willing to tell me what was going on; he wasn't secretive like most other vampires.

"Eric said Amelia was going to talk you into building a swimming pool out the back, so you don't have to look silly sunbathing in the middle of your lawn any more. I could easily hide a decent-size day suite among pool excavation," he said with a grin.

"And by decent-size, you mean?"

"He said to start negotiations with you at 800 square feet and let you argue me down to 500. I'm not sure I want to start an argument with you though, after what I saw outside."

There he went again, being completely honest with me. So un-vamp-like. I only knew one vampire who went out of her way to share information I might need... and she coincidentally had the same sense of humor as James.

"You remind me of Pam," I told James.

He looked stunned; or as stunned as a vampire ever manages to look, anyway. "What do you mean?"

"You both have the same sense of humor, and you both share information when you don't have to. You're not humorless and secretive like most vampires. I think you both have affectionate natures, too, although you hide it almost as well as she does."

Now everyone was staring at me. Calling a vampire affectionate or even 'not secretive' was a dangerous thing to do.

"Wow," James shook his head. "Pam told me you were really something, and she's right. I love having fairies around, you keep things so _interesting_."

I laughed. "Now you sound exactly like Pam, she says that all the time."

He looked surprised again. "She told you that? She must like you even more than I thought."

"So you know Pam well?" I asked him.

"I like to think so," he smiled. "She is my Maker."

Around the table, every jaw dropped, including mine. James just grinned at everyone's reaction.

"I didn't know Pam had a Childe," I told him honestly.

"She doesn't tell many people," he admitted. "I was head of her building crew and I'd worked for her almost 10 years when I got real nasty brain cancer. She gave me her blood a few times to try to heal me but it didn't work so she turned me. I kept working for her another 20 years or so, then we went our separate ways."

"She was a good Maker to you," I stated; I could tell from the way he spoke about her that she was.

"The best," he confirmed. "Saved me from a really horrible death, taught me all the vamp stuff I needed to know and put me right back to work. I wouldn't have minded if she wanted me as a sexual plaything as well, but she really just kept being my boss. I lived with her the first few years while I was getting used to being a vampire, but even then we were more like roommates. She's never been big on the master-slave thing a lot of Makers pull on their children. She's only ever pulled me into line when I needed it and she's always paid me for the work I do for her. She was a great boss beforehand and that didn't change."

"She's a good friend, too," I told him. "I really like Pam. I can't say that about most vampires."

"She likes you a lot more than most humans, too."

Amelia burst out giggling then. "You're Eric's grandkid," she laughed. "Grandpa Eric!"

She projected a mental image of him sitting in a rocking chair whittling, dressed a cardigan and a golf hat. I burst out laughing, and a moment later everyone else was laughing at the idea of Eric as a grandparent, too – humorless vampires included.


	7. Jump

I started training with Quinn the next day. I felt so powerless and afraid after the Fairy War that he offered to teach me to defend myself. He said I'd be jumping at shadows for the rest of my life unless I made some meaning from what happened, and he was right: I had to do something to make me feel safe again, and being able to fight off an attacker would be a good start.

Amelia was still teaching me fairy magic, too, and with the books and enchanted objects Niall left to guide her as well as her own knowledge, she had plenty to show me. She offered to spend her mornings with me so she could go back to work in the afternoons, and that worked out well. After mornings with Amelia, Quinn would train me after lunch until dinner time.

The three of us were in my backyard just before 10am that day, ready to begin.

"So... where do we start?" I asked nervously.

"We can work on teleporting all day today if you like," Quinn answered. "I emailed Pam last night and said I thought 'get the hell out of there' should be your first line of defense, so I wanted to teach you that first. Eric approved it personally. He really likes the idea of you popping home when there's trouble and letting someone else deal with it, out of character as that would be."

"Thank you," I breathed, genuinely touched that he had organized it.

The night before, I asked Amelia if we could concentrate on teleporting for a few days. I wanted to learn to pop over to Remy's place so I could get there fast if Hunter needed me. I hadn't even asked Quinn because I knew he had other things planned, and Eric or Pam had to approve any changes to my training schedule. I was grateful he had rearranged things so I could work on teleporting with him, too.

"I sat up late reading everything about teleporting in Niall's books," Amelia told me, "and I've got a whole bunch of exercises planned for you. We need to get you comfortable with jumping longer distances, but I can also teach you to see where you're going a split-second before you get there, so you don't materialize in the middle of a table or in front of someone who shouldn't see you appear. Eventually you'll be able to start the jump and pull back at the last second if you spot something that makes it unsafe, or shift your destination in the middle of a jump so you can appear somewhere else instead."

"Sounds great," I smiled.

"While you're doing that, I'll be over here," Quinn gestured to the lounger I used for sun-bathing. "I've got to finish the training plans for this afternoon and catch up on some work email, but I'll be watching what you learn from Amelia, too. I need to see exactly what you can do so I can figure out how to use it in a fight."

"Don't you need to be on the internet to answer email?" I asked as he sat down with his laptop.

"Nope, I downloaded all my email so I can sit out here and draft replies. I'll send them all at once when I'm back inside."

"Oh, that's handy," I marveled.

I realized once again that I knew almost nothing about technology, and silently vowed that I would learn. Hadley's laptop was in my bedroom and I rarely used it, but I knew I should figure out email, word processing and spreadsheets at least. I heard they were basic skills for anyone doing business these days, and if I was going to be a consultant telepath, I'd need those skills.

"Shall we?" Amelia asked, eager to get started.

"Sure," I answered nervously.

"OK, the first thing you're going to do is teleport to some places you know well that are close by; I was thinking the cemetery, the fairy meadow and Bill's place. Just jump there and back, OK?"

"Sure."

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I decided to teleport to my Gran's grave first – it was the closest of the three places Amelia picked – and _pop_!, I was there. I touched Gran's headstone and told her how much I missed her, then flashed back to Amelia.

"OK, been to the cemetery," I announced proudly. "Now off to the fairy meadow."

I closed my eyes and concentrated again, then _pop_!, I was there. The meadow was gorgeous with all the spring wildflowers in bloom, so I picked a small posy to take back to Amelia. After gathering a handful of the prettiest flowers, I popped back and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she grinned. "I was wondering what took you so long."

"I wish I could teleport you over there, it's so beautiful this time of year."

"It's OK, I can walk there on the weekend. Teleporting someone else with you is pretty advanced, it'll be a while before you can do it. I've planned some lessons where you take different objects with you first, and the small ones should be easy because you've already mastered taking your clothes with you. Once you can teleport big objects like a car, we can move on to people. I'm not looking forward to your first few attempts, but the amulet will put me back together OK."

"I'll be able to teleport cars?" I asked incredulously.

"You'll be able to teleport small buildings. In theory, you already can, you just need to practice to get control of it."

"How small?" I sounded as stunned as I felt.

"This house would be fine. You could easily manage the Bellefleur's mansion or the apartments," she explained. I knew exactly which ones she meant; there was only apartment block in Bon Temps. "Don't go trying to move any high rises though, not for a long time anyway. Even Niall couldn't move a really big sky scraper like the ones in Chicago."

"Wow. I feel like Superman," I breathed in disbelief.

Amelia laughed. "Sook, for a fairy, you're a total weakling. Teleportation is the most basic power, every single one of you can do it. A full-blood fairy can teleport anywhere in the world, even as a small child. You _only_ have telepathy, teleportation and telekinesis at your disposal... it's not bad for a halfling, but a real fairy can do a lot more. The thing with changing clothes is more promising, you're showing some ability to conjure up objects, but even that's pretty basic by fairy standards."

"What can a real fairy do?"

"Well, you know how all fairies are tied to an element? You're Sky blood, but there's also Water and Fire blood. Fire blood's really rare, most fairies are Sky or Water. Anyway, whatever element you are, you should be able to control. A fairy with Sky blood can change the weather: make it cloudy or sunny, create or stop thunderstorms, make it snow in summer, cause lightning to strike wherever they want... a powerful fairy like Niall can even control hurricanes and tornados. He can create them, divert them or make them dissipate entirely, although that last one would be hard work even for him."

"Wow," I marveled. "What about fairies with Water and Fire blood?"

"A fairy with Water blood can make streams or small rivers do whatever they want: flow faster or slower, rise or lower the water level, break their banks, divert them to pick things up, even make still lakes have waves. They can also do a lot with the ocean, like alter the size of waves and the direction of currents. The really powerful ones have control over the tides, too. They can literally reverse them if they want, although it takes as much energy as dissipating a hurricane."

I realized I should've known some of that; it was how Lochlan and Neave killed my parents. They made a flash flood sweep their car from the road, then pulled them out of it and drowned them. I shuddered, but Amelia didn't notice and just kept talking.

"And fairies with Fire blood can control wildfires: start them, put them out, control the direction, speed and temperature, that kind of thing. Their equivalent of dissipating a hurricane or reversing the tides would be to put out a huge wildfire. They can do it, but it takes a lot out of them. They're rare and really secretive though, even for fae, so they keep the specifics really vague. They don't like anyone to even know how fire works, not even other fairies."

"That's incredible."

"Not really," Amelia insisted. "Fairies are much more in tune with nature than humans. Your energy is so closely tied to your element that it's not a big deal to change it. Humans are so disconnected from the Earth now, when Eric was human most villages had a witch who was powerful enough to influence the weather. Witches have to use their power much more selectively than fairies, though, because we have to balance the elements carefully so we don't stuff things up."

"What do you mean?" I learned so much about magic from Amelia's conversational tangents that I encouraged them now.

"Well, to do any magic, you have to pull down energy. For fairies, it's easy; you just pull what you need from the Earth and your element. Like when you teleport or change your outfit, you're pulling energy from the Earth and the Sky. Fairies have enough power of their own that they can use the power they pull down really efficiently, but humans have to pull down a lot more because we waste a lot of it shaping the intention and binding our will to action.

"On top of that, Fairies are so closely tied to the Earth that it's rare for them to upset the balance. You naturally sense where you can pull energy from and how much you can take without changing the overall state of the system. For witches, it's a lot harder. We don't have that natural sense of an element, we spend years developing it but we never get anywhere near as sensitive as a Fairy is on the day they're born. We have to be so careful. It's easy for us to pull a little too much energy from the Sky and cause a cascade that results in a hurricane or a tornado somewhere else, or covers a tropical beach in snow, or something like that. A lot of freak weather incidents are really witches' stuff-ups."

"Wow, I didn't know that."

"You wanna try teleporting to Bill's place now?" she asked, getting back to my training.

"Sure," I said, and popped straight there, appearing on his porch, then popped straight back again.

"OK, so where did you go that time?" Amelia asked as I reappeared.

"Bill's place."

"Yes, but where in Bill's place?"

"His front porch."

"OK, why not try going inside? Say, to his kitchen or parlor? It's good practice for not appearing in the middle of a table."

"Isn't that kinda rude, going into his house when he's asleep?"

"I'm sure he won't mind, you're only doing it to get better control of your fairy powers so you can defend yourself."

"I guess so," I conceded, then popped into his parlor.

I was about to pop back when I heard someone moving around upstairs. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to invade Bill's privacy, but what if it was someone who meant him harm? I was sure he was well-hidden for the day, but if they found him while he was asleep... I decided I couldn't risk it when he was already so weak. I lowered my shields and reached out with my mind. If Bill's visitor was up to no good, I could be back with Quinn in a couple of minutes, ready to deal with them.

_...such a fucking asshole,_ I heard, _I'm here for hot vampire sex, not to dress the bastard's wounds. No way I'm gonna drive all this way again when I don't even get laid. And it would be about that big-breasted blond bimbo, of course he gets smashed up for HER. Dunno why, she sure isn't anything special. Maybe she gives him head for hours like a prostitute. Maybe she lets him..._

Selah.

I'd heard more than enough. I didn't like her, but I was sure she wouldn't hurt Bill, so I popped back home.

"What happened?" Amelia asked when I reappeared. "You look like you want to kill someone."

"Selah Pumphrey."

"Oh. She's at Bill's place? But he was here for hours last night."

It was true, we had to kick Bill out when we wanted to go to sleep the night before. He stayed talking to Amelia, Quinn and I while James looked over the whole house and made a long list of repairs. Then he insisted on going through the whole list with me, making sure every repair was necessary and that Eric would pay for anything remotely related to light-proofing the place, even things like fixing a small gap in the wall next to a window frame in Amelia's sitting room. Was Selah sitting at his place the whole time, waiting for him? The thought amused me, and I realized once again that I wasn't a very good Christian any more.

"She's there and as awful as ever," I confirmed.

"Why do you hate her so much? You don't want Bill back, so why do you mind him having a new girlfriend?"

I sighed loudly. "I'd be real happy for him if I didn't have to listen to her thoughts. She's so horrible!"

"Really?" Amelia asked gleefully, sensing juicy gossip. "What sort of things does she think?"

"You know I don't share people's thoughts," I protested. "I'd be invading their privacy."

"Oh, come on, you look like you want to kill the bitch. At least tell me why?"

"Fine," I sighed. "I only listened to her thoughts because I heard someone in Bill's place and I didn't know who it was. I just wanted to be sure they didn't mean him any harm. If they did, I would've come back and got Quinn to go sort them out."

Quinn's head snapped up at the mention of his name.

"Sure sure, it wasn't random snooping. Get to the juicy part," Amelia insisted. She really didn't give up; I knew that all too well.

"I only listened for ten seconds or so, just long enough to work out who it was and whether they meant Bill any harm. She called me a 'big-breasted blond bimbo' and not 'anything special', likened me to a prostitute and thought some awful stuff about what I must have let Bill do to me in bed for him to like me so much. Plus she called Bill an 'effing asshole' and a bastard."

"What a cow. Although she's right about Bill," Amelia concluded. "You might've forgiven him, but as your best friend, I'm honor bound to hate him forever for the things he did to you."

I wasn't really listening; Quinn had a murderous look on his face and I was watching him carefully, in case he decided to do something stupid. I walked over and sat down on the edge of his chair, as he scooted over to give me room.

"It's not really about me," I told him. "Selah has a really high opinion of herself, so she had to find a reason why Bill loves me and not her. The first time he brought her to Merlotte's on a date, I heard her think that she was thinner, prettier, more educated, had a better job and made more money than me. But she thinks lower-class women are better in bed and that's why he loves me.

"She doesn't understand that her personality could be the problem, she doesn't even think of it. But she doesn't see him as a person, just a source of, quote, 'hot vampire sex'. She was furious that she had to dress his wounds last night instead of getting laid. I don't think she likes him at all, she just likes that vampires are better in bed than humans."

Quinn shook his head. "She sounds like a real piece of work. The kind of woman he deserves, actually. Did he really take her on a date to Merlotte's? What an asshole."

I laughed. "He took her to Merlotte's for _every_ date. He took Portia Bellefleur to Merlotte's for every date, too. Selah was so mad about it, you should've heard the things she was thinking about him for taking her there so many times."

Quinn laughed too, then. "Sounds like she's getting what she deserves, then. Still, if she ever says those things to your face..."

"She won't," I insisted. "She's convinced that she's better than me, remember? She won't be that rude."

Quinn nodded, so I got up and went back over to Amelia to resume my teleportation lesson.

By lunchtime, I had mastered looking where I was going a split-second before I appeared there. I was also able to stop or change my destination about half the time, and I was still improving. I had teleported to places all over Bon Temps, although only spots I was sure would be deserted, like the woods behind Sam's trailer at Merlotte's and the spot where the Rattrays used to live.

My training was going well, and I was happy.


	8. Training

"Here you go," Amelia slid the CDs across the kitchen table to me. "If these don't improve your taste, nothing will."

Over lunch, she and Quinn had a long conversation about music. When they realized I didn't know most of the artists they liked, they both grabbed their laptops and started playing me their favorites. In the last hour, I had discovered so much great stuff; I made them play some songs over and over. Amelia burned me a small stack of CDs to listen to on my CD player.

"Thanks, roomie," I grinned. I was looking forward to listening to them.

Amelia removed the little plastic thing from the side of her laptop and handed it back to Quinn. They had used it to transfer a bunch of songs I liked from his laptop to hers, so she could burn CDs for me to listen to.

"I really want one of those," she sighed, drooling over his laptop. He had the fanciest, shiniest computer I had ever seen. "I think I'll ask Dad, my birthday's in a couple of months."

"Wow, you want it enough to ask your father?" I asked in astonishment. Amelia hated to ask him for anything.

"Hey, she wants one enough to go Mac," Quinn chuckled. "Changing platforms is a big deal," he added, like that explained it.

I gave him a blank look.

"Sookie's not so great with technology," she informed him, then tried to explain it to me. "Most people use either a Mac or a PC, those are the two main platforms. You know, the operating systems that run on your computer?"

I still didn't understand a word she was saying and it must've shown, because Quinn slipped into his patient teaching face.

"They're two different types of computers, Macs and PCs. They work differently and most people only know how to use one. If they change platforms, they have to learn to use computers all over again, so they cling stubbornly to the type they already know. Getting someone to change is like getting a Catholic to go Protestant or vice versa, they get so religious about it."

"OK, I think I get it. So if Amelia gets a computer like yours, she'll be a beginner again for a while."

"Exactly."

"Thanks for explaining, I feel like such an idiot not knowing this stuff."

"It's not difficult, you'll pick it up really quickly. I can show you a few things while I'm here, if you like?" he offered.

"Good luck with that," Amelia interrupted. "She's got her cousin's laptop in her room and I've been offering to teach her for months, but she never finds time. Even when she was stuck in bed for a couple of weeks, she didn't want to learn."

"Don't you have a job to go to?" I asked pointedly.

She glanced at her watch. "Dammit!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and grabbed her things. "I'm gonna be late, first day back."

Amelia was returning to work part time for now, afternoons only. She told her boss I still needed help with a few things, even though I was mostly recovered from my 'car accident', and he was good enough to let her work half days until I was all better.

"Good luck," I hugged her quickly.

"Thanks roomie, and my offer to help you learn to use computers still stands," she called over her shoulder as she left.

"I'll have to take you up on that," I muttered.

"I'll help you out any way I can, too," Quinn added. "Anyway, should we head out the back for our first training session?"

"Sure," I agreed.

He and I went into my backyard so he could teach me how to use my teleportation skills to help defend myself. I realized he was taking my training seriously when he casually carried a sword, a dagger, and a bow and arrow out with him. He really wasn't going to give me Self Defense 101 and I was glad; being a barmaid for years had given me plenty of practice at the basics. I wasn't sure what to expect from his lessons - I only knew that he was going to teach me the fighting skills I would need to defend myself - but I trusted him and I was eager to learn. I had seen him fight and he was incredible.

We started with a quick warm-up, jogging around the edge of my backyard a couple of times, then stretched for a few minutes. He led and I just copied what he did; I'd never been into exercise, so I didn't even know how to do a basic warm-up. I was pleased that I kept up, though. Waitressing was physically demanding work and I had done it for years, so I was fit.

"Want to get started?" he asked politely when we were done stretching.

"Sure," I agreed, curious about what he had planned.

"OK, Eric agreed that teleporting yourself away from dangerous situations should be your first line of defense, but we both know how out of character it would be if you actually did that. Plus Amelia's already teaching you what you need to know to leave before a fight gets stared. So I'm going to teach you how to teleport as a last resort, when you're in a fight that you're not going to win. Then after that, we'll see if popping around the place is possible in battle, because that could be really useful."

"So what do I need to do?"

"Well, to teach you how to teleport as a last resort, I'd like to simulate some of the situations where it would be necessary. Situations where you'd die or be seriously injured if you didn't get away. Some of them will be pretty close contact, like pretending to strangle you... will that be OK? I promise I won't actually hurt you, but I do need to make it realistic."

"How realistic?" I was suddenly very nervous.

"Realistic enough that you panic a bit. In a real fight you'd be pumped full of adrenaline, so you need to be able to use your powers when you're scared. And realistic enough to simulate any other conditions you'd face in a real fight. Like if you were being strangled, that cuts the blood flow to your brain so you need to have control over your powers even when you're dizzy. If we practice it enough in training, you'll know what to do if you face something like this for real. You'll respond automatically and you'll survive. I won't do you any harm, I'll just be simulating things you might face so you can learn what to do."

"OK," I said, but I didn't sound at all convincing.

"Sorry, I just realized how full-on this lesson will be for you. I was going to pretend to strangle you, stab you, chop off your head with a sword and shoot you with arrows... that's probably too much for day one. We have to do close-contact training soon, but I'll start with something else if you like? I had a non-contact lesson planned for later this week, teaching you how to use your outfit-changing trick to get out of restraints if someone captures you. I've got some ropes and handcuffs in my room, I'll go get them. I only have to touch you once to tie ropes or put on cuffs, and I won't be pretending to hurt you. That's a better one for today."

I thought about it for a second. "No, I think it's good that the first lesson is so full-on. It's not like I've never been strangled or stabbed or shot at before. I dealt with it OK when it happened for real, so I should be able to handle it in training."

"Are you sure? I don't want to lose your trust or traumatize you by pushing you too far before you're ready."

"I'm ready," I insisted, balling up all my courage.

"OK, if you insist. But if you need me to stop, just say the word 'apple' or hold your hand up in a scout salute, like this." He held his hand up, palm forward, with his middle three fingers stretched up and his thumb and little finger folded over one another.

"Alright," I agreed.

"So what do you want to try first? Strangling, stabbing, shooting or chopping off your head?" he asked with a smile.

"Strangling, I guess," I decided. At least there weren't any weapons involved, which made it seem less frightening.

"OK," he looked worried. "But if you need me, to stop..."

"I say 'apple' or do the scout salute," I held up my hand to demonstrate.

"Exactly, but I think I'll start with something easier. I'm going to trap you in a bear hug with your arms pinned to your sides, and I want you to teleport out of it, OK?"

"OK." This I could definitely manage.

He stood behind me and wrapped me in a strong, warm embrace, with my arms pinned against my sides. Even when he lifted me off the ground about a foot, I didn't want to escape; it was nice being so close to him. He held me for a few seconds and I could feel how much he enjoyed it, too. Then he summoned all his resolve and got on with his job. He tightened his arms around me, squeezing the air from my lungs. After a few seconds, I started to panic.

"You can get away, babe, just teleport a few feet," he encouraged, whispering in my ear.

I concentrated and popped a few feet over, falling heavily on the ground because I re-materialized as far in the air as I had been when he was holding me.

"Great," he grinned. "You got it already. Now let's see if you can land on the ground, so you can keep fighting if you have to. It'll be really handy in a fight, if you can suddenly pop behind an attacker and take them down, just when they think they've won."

He wrapped his arms around me and picked me up again, squeezing even harder this time so he got the same panicked reaction from me. I was ready this time, and when I popped out of his arms, I reappeared with my feet on the ground.

"Perfect," he praised me. "Now let's try it the way you'd do it in real life, fighting back. In that kind of hold, you have your legs and your head free. You could kick me or use the edge of your shoe to scrape down the front of my shin, and you could break my nose with the back of your skull if you get a clean hit. I want you to try all those first, then teleport as your last option."

"No," I protested, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Look, I'm not pretending to be some idiotic drunk human who you can easily overpower. You already know how to deal with them. I need to teach you how to handle attackers who know what they're doing, who'll dodge everything you throw at them. You'll get a few kicks in, but probably nothing more, OK? Try your hardest and see if you can get me at all," he challenged.

It was the right approach, goading me into fighting as hard as I could. When he went to grab me this time, it took him two attempts to get hold of me. I kicked him repeatedly in the knees and he cussed loudly, but his grasp didn't loosen. When he had squeezed so much air from my lungs that I was starting to feel dizzy, I teleported over a few feet.

"Very good," he told me. "You didn't use your head at all though, and if you can get a good blow in, it's your most powerful weapon. You could also do a lot more damage with your kicks. How about we do a practice run first, then try again?"

I nodded and he pinned my arms to my sides and picked me up again, but didn't squeeze me.

Feeling his huge, powerful arms around me made me feel warm all over, especially between my legs. I forced myself to concentrate on what he was teaching me, even when I felt him harden against my back when I wriggled against him. I felt like such a slut; Eric was barely gone two days and I was already salivating over someone else. _Stop it, Sookie,_ I told myself.

"OK, let's try the moves you can do with your head first," he suggested. "If my head is directly behind yours, you have a clear shot to break my nose. Try it, but don't put full force behind it; keep it to about half. I won't dodge at all, so you'll get a clean hit."

He moved his head directly behind mine and rubbed his nose against the back of my head to let me know he was there. I dropped my chin and tipped my head forward, then snapped it back against his nose. I did as he asked and used less than half my strength, but it still made a loud thump when I hit him.

"Good, let's try that again."

We did it twice more, then he showed me how to head-butt his nose when his head was at an angle. He praised me each time I got a move right, and after a few practice runs, I felt like I could easily use the same moves in a real fight.

Finally, it felt like something good was coming of the awful time I spent with those evil fairies. Nobody was going to hurt me again; if they tried, I would make them very sorry.

"OK, let's improve your kicks now," Quinn said.

He showed me where to kick to do maximum damage. He taught me to drive my heel into an attacker's leg, compressing the muscle against the bone to give them a corked thigh, which he said hurt a lot. He told me I could do the same to their calf or upper arm; anywhere there was at least an inch of muscle over a large bone. He taught me to aim at the side of their knees to break them, or to kick the back of their knee to take their leg out from under them. He taught me to dig the edge of my shoe into their shin, then drive it downwards to scrape the skin off. I could tell that when I practiced some of them I actually hurt him, but he insisted that I keep going.

Then we tried our earlier drill again, picking me up in a bear hug. This time, as he squeezed the air from my lungs, I used all the moves he just taught me, trying to make him loosen his grip so I could get away without teleporting. He was too smart for me to head-butt him, no matter how hard I tried, but he couldn't easily move his legs out of my way. After landing a few blows that made him cuss loudly, I kick the back of his left knee hard, and his leg buckled under him. Then I realized that wasn't such a good idea; he was falling forward and he was going to land on top of me. At the last second, he rolled over in mid-air and landed on his back with me on top of him. His grip loosened for a split-second when he hit the ground, but I wasn't fast enough; he was still squeezing the air from my lungs and I was really dizzy. I admitted defeat and teleported out of his arms.

"That was really good," he said, getting up.

I was on the ground a few feet away, lying the same way I had been when I teleported out of his arms. He helped me up.

"Except that I almost brought you down on top of me."

"Once you get used to taking the blows, you'll be able to make that work for you. My arms would've hit the ground before your body did, and I would've taken a lot of the force on my elbows. I didn't just flip over to keep from crushing you, I could've easily broken an arm if I landed badly; both if I was unlucky. You could do a lot of damage if you took someone down like that, but teleported out just before they hit the ground. They'd be unprepared to take the full force themselves."

We tried it, and by the third time, I was able to teleport out of his arms just before he hit the ground. He didn't make it easy for me to take him down, so I got some good practice in kicking an attacker. He kept flipping over in mid-air until I was sure of myself, then tried one where he fell directly forward, so he would land on top of me if I didn't get out in time. I escaped at just the right moment; even knowing what would happen, the landing winded him. This time, I helped him up.

"That was great, babe," he wheezed. It took him a few seconds to catch his breath after the fall.

I smiled. I didn't like hurting people, but I did want to be able to defend myself if someone tried to hurt me and I was learning fast.

"Let's try strangling now," I suggested.

"Sure," he agreed. "I don't think I could take another one of those falls for a few minutes, anyway."

He moved closer to me and put his hands around my neck gently, looking me in the eyes. "Are you sure you'll be OK?"

I nodded. "I need to learn this."

With no further warning, he squeezed my neck. He was carefully avoiding my windpipe, but pressed down on either side of it instead. I felt dizzy almost immediately. I teleported out of his grasp right away, feeling very scared.

"Good," he said. "Now try fighting back. You've got your arms and legs free, but your head's not very mobile so head-butts are out. You probably want to concentrate your attack on my arms, to make me loosen my grip. You could also knee me in the groin, although that's one move where I'd prefer you hold back. If you get a clean blow in, even at one-quarter strength, I'll pretend it was a lot harder, OK? Don't get into a habit of relying on that one, though; it won't stop a serious attacker, just make them angry."

After I agreed, he showed me some more techniques for getting away. He showed me the most sensitive spots in the foot to stomp on, and where to dig my nails into his arms to cause maximum pain. He also showed me how to hit someone's elbows to force them to bend their arms and bring me closer to them, so I could use the momentum to slam my skull into their nose.

I tried his techniques the first couple of times, fighting until I started to lose consciousness, then teleporting out of his grip. The third time we tried it, I decided to play by my own rules. When he squeezed down on my neck, I reached out and grabbed both of his nipples, twisting them hard. At the same time, I re-routed the pain his hands were causing my neck, and sent it up his nerve endings to his brain, intensified a bit.

"Son of a -" he yelled, releasing me and pushing me away. He leaned over with his hands on his knees for a few minutes.

"Are you OK?" I felt so guilty about hurting him.

"Well done, babe," he said when he recovered. "Remind me not to try strangling you ever again."

"Sorry, I went too far, didn't I?"

"No, you did good," he insisted. "You're learning to defend yourself. If someone attacks you, you'll have to hurt them to get away. You're here to practice so you know what to do to save yourself. Everyone overdoes it and hurts their sparring partner occasionally. Besides, now you owe me, so we can make the strangling more realistic."

"What do you mean?" I asked, a bit worried.

"I've been avoiding your windpipe so far, just pressing down on your carotid arteries to cut the blood flow. A real attacker wouldn't do that, it hurts a lot to have your windpipe squeezed and they'd use that to their advantage. So we need to practice that as well. I'll be careful not to crush any bones, but you'll still be sore afterwards."

"OK," I agreed apprehensively.

"We can make this more realistic in other ways, too. A real attacker would try to immobilize you while they strangle you, so it's hard for you to fight back. They'd either push you against a wall so they could pin your legs, or push you to the ground and sit on you. We should try both of those as well."

I nodded and walked to the back of the house, picking the nearest suitable wall. He pinned me against the wall so I could practice escaping, and I could tell he was being very careful. He was making sure he pressed down hard enough on my windpipe for it to hurt, but not so hard that he did any damage or even left bruises. I could also tell that he hated even pretending to hurt me, and he was only able to do it because he knew I'd be safer if I could defend myself.

After I escaped from being pinned against a wall and strangled a few times, we moved on to practicing the same scenario, but on the ground. I was very glad it was him teaching me; I couldn't think of anyone else I would trust to pin me to the ground and wrap their hands around my throat; probably not even Eric. But I could read Quinn's mind enough that when he touched me, I felt how much he loved and cared for me, so I was able to relax and concentrate on my training. I was learning a calm, measured style of self-defence, practicing each move until my body would remember it automatically when I needed to use it.

"You're doing really well," he grinned as he helped me up after our fifth try. "You've got out of every single hold I've had you in, I haven't had to back off and let you go once. That's really good."

"Teleporting away is easy," I shrugged.

"It's easy because you stay so calm. I guess you've been attacked enough that you keep your head in a fight now."

"Maybe. It's also because I trust you."

He wrapped me up in his big arms and kissed the top of my head. "I'm really glad to hear that," he murmured into my hair.

We stayed like that for a few moments, before he pulled back to speak to me again.

"Babe, most of what I just taught you isn't very realistic. I taught you that way so I could watch you and make sure you were OK, but only an attacker who relied on their strength would actually do that. Most would grab you from behind and get you in a chokehold and If they knew what they were doing, you'd be unconscious before you had time to react. I'd like to teach you to deal with that as well, but you'll only have a few seconds to get away or you'll faint. If I do knock you out by accident, will you be OK? I don't want to lose your trust by pushing you too quickly."

"I need to learn this," I answered with steely resolve. I was determined to know how to fight back next time I was attacked.

"OK, but if you have any trouble..."

"Apple," I replied, holding my hand up in the scout sign.

"Exactly," he smiled.

He stood behind me and wrapped an arm around my neck in a chokehold. The first three times, he didn't apply any pressure, just counted to five so I'd know how long I'd have to escape when he did. Once I was used to teleporting out quickly he tried pressing down. He wasn't using full strength, but it was still remarkably effective; I felt dizzy almost immediately. After a few more tries, he choked me at full strength, and I knew exactly what he meant about having to get away quickly. I would've fainted in under five seconds, but I always got away in time. He was pleased.

When we were done with strangling, he moved on to stabbing. He immobilized me again, first against the wall, then on the ground, and pretended to stab me in the chest. The first few times, he moved slowly to give me plenty of time to get out of the way. After a few practice runs, he was stabbing at full speed and full force, so I would get used to getting away as quickly as I would have to if someone really did try to stab me. I always got away in time, and the wall got stabbed instead. Then he did the same thing with the killing blow from a sword, pretending to decapitate me. I got out of the way easily.

Once he was satisfied that I could move very quickly when I needed to, he shot arrows at me a few times. They had rubber tips so they wouldn't pierce my skin, but the couple that hit me still hurt plenty. He was right that it was good practice, learning to keep my focus even when I was in pain. He was teaching me to stay calm in a fight, to keep my head no matter what happened.

Amelia came home from work while we were practicing with the arrows and watched for a few minutes. I 'heard' how impressed she was, but she went in to make dinner without a word because she didn't want to disrupt my concentration. I was grateful.

Finally, Quinn and I went through all the escape scenarios again, and he taught me how to turn the tables on an attacker. He had me reappear directly behind him when I teleported so I could push him over, hit his head against a wall or otherwise strike back. I was really worried about hurting him to begin with, but he goaded me into practicing properly. I quickly realized that bruises and scrapes really didn't bother him - he barely felt them - and I learned a lot more if I wasn't holding back all the time.

By the end of the afternoon, I was tired and sore, but also happy. I had already learned so much that I felt much less scared of being attacked again. I told him so.

"I'm glad to hear that," he beamed. "By the time we're done, anyone who attacks you will wish they hadn't."

"Sounds good to me," I beamed right back.

He draped an arm across my back and rubbed my shoulder, at the same time as he planted a soft kiss on top of my head. We went inside to have dinner with Amelia.


	9. Fairies

I woke screaming, my mind full of evil fairies. "Croak, froggy, croak," they taunted, teasing me because my voice was so hoarse from screaming. My entire body hurt; every scar felt like a fresh wound, the pain sharp and new again.

"Ssssh, Sookie, it's OK, you're safe," a familiar male voice soothed me, his warm arm around my shoulders.

Even half-asleep, I knew it wasn't Eric; he hadn't come to save me. Someone else had, someone warm. I looked around again, my brain finally registering what my eyes saw, instead of blindly reliving memories I would rather forget. I was in my bedroom, sitting bolt upright in my bed. It was 2am and Quinn was sitting next to me, trying to calm me down.

"Hey," I greeted him weakly, rubbing my face with my hands to wake myself up.

"You alright?" he asked, concerned. He was stroking my back to make me feel better, and it was working.

"I think so."

I looked down and realized I was still wearing the t-shirt I wore during my training session the day before. I smelled terrible. I also still had my bra on, and the underwire dug into my chest painfully. I unhooked the back, fished the straps out through the arms of my t-shirt and pulled it out under the hem of my shirt. I flung the smelly bra across the room into my laundry hamper.

Quinn was giving me a funny look. I had taken bras off like that dozens of times in front of girlfriends - it was a lot more polite than flashing my boobs - but never in front of a man. It probably looked really bizarre.

"Sorry, I'm still half asleep," I said sheepishly. "I didn't mean anything by it, taking my underwear off in front of you. Sorry."

"I should be the one apologizing, babe. It must be really uncomfortable to sleep in those things, but I didn't even think about your underwear." Then he broke into a sly grin. "I'm sure you think I'm lying, since that's all any man ever thinks about when they're near you, or any woman half as hot as you, or, let's face it, practically any woman at all. But I swear it happened, I really managed to not think about your underwear for, wow, it must've been five minutes. Aren't you proud of me?"

For a moment he managed to look like he genuinely expected praise, but as soon as I burst out laughing, he did too. His comment provoked a long, hard belly laugh from me, and completely erased the bad mood my nightmare had caused.

"Oh, Quinn, you're such a gentleman," I teased, rubbing my head against his shoulder affectionately.

"Because I didn't think about your underwear for five whole minutes?"

"No, because you think I dress that modestly in other men's grubby thoughts," I laughed.

He shuddered. "God, you must hate being a telepath."

"Sometimes," I agreed.

He wrapped his arm around me again and I leaned against his shoulder, glad he was distracting me from my nightmare.

"Amelia got you out of your jeans, by the way. I should've asked her to get you out of the bra, too. I will if it happens again."

"Huh? If what happens again?"

"You fell asleep in front of the movie so I brought you in here," he explained.

It made sense then; the last thing I could remember before I woke was the start of the movie we were watching last night.

"Thanks, I was so tired after training."

"You didn't miss anything, the movie was terrible. Last time I let you pick," he joked.

"Sorry."

"It's OK, it wasn't all bad," he conceded.

"No? What did you like about it?"

"Well, you fell asleep in my arms five minutes in. Cuddling you for a couple of hours totally made up for the crappy movie."

I had been watching the movie with my head resting on his shoulder and his arm around me. It seemed friendly at the time, but now it felt like it meant more than I intended it to.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he apologized when he saw me tensing up. "I didn't take any liberties, I just stayed there so I didn't wake you. It seemed like you needed the rest. You can try that deep-reading thing Amelia was talking about if you want."

"No, it's OK," I insisted. "I believe you, I can feel that you're telling the truth."

"You sure? Have you had a chance to practice deep-reading a shifter before?"

"No, but it hurts when I rummage around in someone's head."

"Amelia told me. You still need to practice though. Go on, try." He inclined his head towards me.

I thought about protesting, but I knew I had to get better at reading shifters' minds to stand a chance next time one attacked me. No better time to start - and he couldn't ask me about my nightmare while I poked around in his mind.

"OK," I placed my hands on either side of his head, enjoying how smooth his scalp. "This'll hurt less if you pull up your memories of this evening yourself so I can just skim them, then I won't have to dig them out of your mind."

He did as I asked, thinking through the evening's events. A series of images flashed through his mind. The movie I picked from the only DVD rental place in Bon Temps; he said he'd choose next time. Sitting down on the couch together, getting comfortable as the movie started. Then I was asleep, leaning on his shoulder. It was true, he sat completely still for two hours, watching the horrible chick flick I chose, so he didn't wake me. Even when his backside went numb from sitting in one position for so long, he didn't move. He still didn't want to disturb me when the movie ended, so he stayed there watching me sleep. Eventually, Amelia came downstairs and teased him about sitting in a dark, silent room just so he could cuddle me. He carried me into my bedroom and got her to take my jeans off because he thought they'd be uncomfortable to sleep in.

Everything happened as he said, and it was also true that for him, it was worth every second of discomfort just to hold me for a couple of hours. There was one thing he hadn't told me, though. He said he loved me every chance he got, but that was a major understatement. For him, I was it: The One, his mate, the love of his life. I was shocked he felt so strongly towards me; I really hadn't known.

I didn't know what to say. I hadn't gone looking for his feelings towards me, but his emotions were so intrinsic to his memories that I couldn't avoid them. Shifters' minds aren't full of words like humans'; their thoughts are a mix of images, instincts and emotions, with just a few phrases thrown in. I wondered if he knew that and wanted me to know how he felt about me. Then I wondered if he knew what I had just found out, and whether I should acknowledge it. I didn't know what to do or say.

I was saved by a knock at my front door. I jumped out of bed to answer it, not realizing until I was halfway down the hall that I was only wearing panties and a t-shirt, nothing else. I snapped my fingers to put my pajama bottoms on, not breaking stride. I had only learned to dematerialize and re-materialize clothes I already owned, rather than conjuring up new things, a couple of days ago, and I hadn't known I could do it while I walked until just that second. I was pleased with myself for learning so quickly.

I wasn't so pleased that I had just jumped out of bed near-naked in front of Quinn. I was too relaxed around him; I kept saying and doing things that were far too intimate for someone who was just a friend now. I told myself I'd stop, then realized I didn't want to; I liked having someone around who I trusted completely. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

As I reached for the door handle, Quinn appeared out of nowhere, almost as unexpectedly as a vampire would. He pressed his hand against the front door, stopping me from opening it.

_It's a vampire,_ he projected loudly, his mind full of concern. _Be careful, babe._

I rolled my eyes and he backed off.

_Sorry, if you're sure it's alright, I'll keep out of your way._

I gave him a tight smile and opened the door, noticing that he only backed off as far as the living room, ready to help me if there was trouble on the other side. I was 95% sure there wasn't; that it was just Bill checking on me after my latest nightmare... but if I was wrong, I knew I'd be glad he was so close.

I swung open the door and sure enough, it was Bill. He looked better than he had for a long time, rosy almost, and I was glad he seemed healthy again. He got silver poisoning when he rescued me from Lochlan and Neave, and he was still recovering.

"Hey Bill," I greeted him too loudly, making sure Quinn heard.

"Sookie, are you OK? I heard you screaming."

"Just a nightmare. Five days since the last one, pretty good, huh?"

"It is," he agreed, smiling warmly. "What was the nightmare about?"

It was only when he asked that I realized how much I didn't want to talk about it; I'd been discussing my nightmares for weeks. Quinn had distracted me instead of even asking, and I was suddenly very grateful for that.

"You're looking really good, healthy even," I changed the subject.

"I'm feeling a lot better," Bill agreed. "I think I'm finally getting back to normal."

"That's great," I smiled.

"Sookie, what was your nightmare about?" he repeated.

"The usual," I said brusquely, trying to let him know that I didn't need to talk about it this time.

I could tell he wasn't satisfied with my response. He wanted me to confide in him. This was going to be a long, annoying conversation; he never let go of anything once he decided he wanted to know. Darn vampires, none of them did.

"How's Selah?" Quinn asked, appearing by my side in the doorway.

"She's well," Bill said tightly.

The look on his face said 'caught out'. Well, really just showed a hint of it, but that's all vampires ever do. So Selah was still at his place. No wonder he looked so rosy, he'd just fed. Ew. I really didn't want to know.

"Say hi for me," I said too brightly, my mouth tightening into my 'crazy Sookie' smile, large and fake.

"I will." Bill sounded almost guilty. "You'll be OK?"

"I'm fine," I smiled. "Goodnight Bill."

"Goodnight, Sookie."

Saved! As he left, I turned to Quinn. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," he answered, too casually.

I knew that he was lying and my face must've shown it.

"OK, I lied," he admitted. "Do you want me to tell you the truth about how I knew? You won't like it."

"Too late, I just saw it in your head," I grimaced.

With his Supe hearing, Quinn heard most of Bill and Selah's sexcapades for the night... including the part where she protested about wearing the blond wig, padded bra and Merlotte's uniform again. My skin crawled at the thought of it. Bill had insisted he had a thing for big-breasted blond waitresses long before he met me, but that didn't make Selah - or me - any happier.

"Yeah, it wasn't fun to listen to. Good thing you were asleep on top of me, or I might've done something stupid."

"How did you even hear all that? Weren't they at his place? I didn't think you could hear that far?" I asked.

"It's pretty quiet out there tonight. I can't hear as far in the day when there's background noise, it drowns things out."

"How did you keep that from me before? I was looking around your head and I didn't catch a hint of it."

"You weren't exactly digging deep, as far as I could tell, and I'd much rather remember cuddling you than think about Bill and Selah's, um, _activities_. I never would've thought of that again, except he was going to keep questioning you and it seemed like you didn't want to discuss your nightmare, so I had to find a way to shut him up."

"Thank you. I really don't want to talk about my nightmares."

"That's a good sign," he smiled. "You're moving past what happened. I assume your nightmare was about the fairies?"

I gave a tight nod, and we started walking back down the hall towards my room and the spare room where he was sleeping.

"Are you sure it's good?" I asked nervously. "Everyone else wants me to discuss it with them."

"People do that, they think you have to keep talking about traumatic events to get over them. But once you've processed what happened and you're healing, being made to relive it over and over isn't helpful. Even if other people want to define you by one horrible thing you lived through, it's not healthy if you think that way yourself. It was just one day of your life, and not one you chose, so it's not who you are. You seem like you're making some meaning out of what happened and moving on from it, so it won't help if people drag you back into it again. So yeah, it's a good sign that you feel like you've talked about it enough, now."

I thought about it for a few seconds and realized he was right. "You're a lot smarter than people give you credit for," I smiled.

He shook his head. "No, not me. Took me years of therapy to figure all that out."

I hugged him tightly, reminded once again that the reason he was the only one who knew what to say to me about what happened, was because he had been through much, much worse. He was letting himself be reminded of all sort of horrible things from his own past so he could help me through this, and I was more grateful for that than I'd ever be able to say. He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back. We stood there in the hall for a long time, holding each other in silence.

"I have to sleep," I murmured against his chest a few minutes later, still not wanting to let him go.

He slid his feet under mine and walked me into my room with my arms still around him, half-asleep against his chest. Then he helped me into bed and kissed me on my forehead. He went to leave.

"If you need anything, just call out. I only need three or four hours sleep a night, so I've rested enough already. I'll be awake."

"Don't go," I whispered. I didn't want to be alone; my nightmare had been so real that I still felt shaky and scared.

He hesitated in the doorway, then turned around and came back. He sat against my headboard and I crawled into his lap, curling into a little ball against his chest. He held me and kissed the top of my head, gently tucking my hair behind my ear. He purred softly and the soothing sound quickly put me to sleep.

When I woke the next morning, I was still in his arms, relaxed and well rested. I started the day very happy indeed.


	10. Bond

After two more days of really hard work, I could teleport far enough to visit Hunter.

I could reach out with my mind to the place I wanted to go, check it was safe, choose a good spot to appear and make the jump. I had teleported to many deserted places around the area - fields, ruins, the abandoned quarry, National Parks - jumping further from home each time. It was really tiring at the start, but the first time I tried to teleport when I didn't have the energy to jump, I surprised myself by pulling the energy I needed from the Sky, just like Amelia said I could. That's what finally made it possible for me to make long jumps like the one to Red Ditch.

After Amelia, Quinn and I ate dinner that night, I went to check on Hunter. The first few times I started to make the jump, I saw that Remy was awake. I didn't want to risk him catching me, so I pulled back. On the fifth attempt, Remy was asleep so I popped into Hunter's room. He was awake and looked like he was waiting for me.

_Talk to me in my head, Hunter. We can't let your Dad hear us,_ I told him immediately after I arrived.

"I put Dad to sleep so you could come. He won't wake up until I let him," Hunter responded.

I reached out to Remy's brain and sure enough, his mind was occupied by a looping thought that kept him asleep, having pleasant dreams. I was surprised Hunter could do that; I sure couldn't.

"Wow, Hunter, that's really impressive," I beamed at him.

"I learned it from you. It's just like what you do with good feelings or pain."

"You're a clever boy to work that out. Just be careful who you use it on, and what you do to them. Promise me you'll only use it to help people? And only if other things don't work? No playing with people's thoughts just for fun, promise?"

"I promise, Aunt Sookie," he said as he hugged me around my waist.

I pulled him close to me and sat down on the side of his bed. I ruffled his hair affectionately, but when I touched the skin above his left ear, he flinched noticeably.

"Hunter, what's wrong sweetie? Have you hurt your head?"

I saw a flash from his mind of his father, incoherent with rage and frustration, smacking Hunter in the head because the child was trying to make his toys move using his mind. He had seen me use my new telekinetic ability - I picked Hunter up and turned him in a somersault in mid-air when I last visited him - and wanted to know if he had the same gift. His Dad kept telling him not to do it and he kept trying anyway, but when he finally managed to lift a Duplo block a few inches off the ground without touching it, his father snapped.

I saw what Remy looked like to his son when he was out of control and my heart broke. To Hunter, Remy was enormous and menacing. In Hunter's mind, Remy was starting to look like a monster, while Quinn and Eric looked like superheroes. It was terrible that the child's fear had twisted his father into a creature more frightening than a weretiger or a Viking vampire.

I knew Remy just wanted his son to have a normal life, but I hated the tactics he was using to try to make that happen.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," I murmured, hugging Hunter tightly.

"It's OK," he replied. "It won't happen for long. King Eric will make Remy send me to live with you. Then you'll be my Mommy. Well, as long as Quinn trusts you so you don't get hurt or killed," he added sadly.

"Your Dad shouldn't hurt you at all." I wasn't sure whether the rest of what he said was the future he had seen psychically or wishful thinking from a child terrified of his father and desperate to escape to safety.

"I saw it in the future," he answered my thoughts. "You can look in my head and see."

"It's OK Hunter, I believe you. I don't want to see too much of the future, anyway."

"Why not?" he asked, looking surprised.

"I don't want to risk changing things for the worse. It doesn't feel right to change the future when we can only know what the short-term effects of the changes we make will be."

"I can see years into the future," he protested. "There are lots of pictures and they're all faint, but I can see."

He was telling the truth. When I looked at his thoughts during my last visit, I had seen the branches spreading out in front of him, with some possibilities looking larger and more opaque than others. I guessed that showed the likelihood they would happen. Perhaps if there were hundreds or even thousands of possible outcomes for every action we take, it's not as damaging to use a gift like Hunter's to shape your future, I thought to myself.

"That's true," he agreed with my thoughts, "you can't break the future. You can only push it a bit in different directions."

"It's very smart of you to figure out things like that. I'm impressed that you're even thinking about it at your age."

"I have to, Aunt Sookie," he said gravely. "I have to learn how to make you and King Eric and Quinn safe."

It was a huge responsibility for a small child to have, and for a moment, I wanted to tell him to wait until he was older to use his gift. Something stopped me. In some small corner of my mind, I knew what Hunter said was true, and that using his gifts to keep the people he loves safe was his destiny. I wasn't sure how I knew it, but I felt it too strongly to ignore it.

I sighed. "I wish you were wrong, so you could have a normal childhood, but you do need to learn to help people with your gift."

I felt terrible that I would be one of the people using his gifts for their own purposes instead of letting him just be a child.

He answered my thoughts again. "I want to help you, Aunt Sookie. I don't want you to be hurt again. Please let me help you?"

My eyes filled with tears. "Of course you can help me. I love you and I don't want you to lose any more people who love you."

"I love you too," he said sweetly.

I decided to change the subject. "Can you do me a favor, sweetie?"

He looked at me and nodded, then answered the question he saw in my mind.

"I won't call him King Eric any more. He will be a King though. What does in-suff-rubble mean?" he sounded out the word.

"It means he'll think he's the greatest thing on earth and be obnoxious to be around."

My words didn't seem to be getting through to him at all; his face was a mask of intense concentration, his tiny brows knit together in a distinct frown. He suddenly looked much older than his almost-five years, as he often did.

"You have to go, Aunt Sookie," he said with alarm. "You need to leave now, or you won't get home in time."

"In time for what?"

"There's no time. Go, please," he begged.

I hugged him goodbye, kissed the top of his head, stood up and teleported home.

I appeared in the kitchen right beside Amelia with a loud '_pop_!', and she leapt almost a foot in the air. Quinn turned to see what the noise was and his face lit up when he saw me.

"That was quick," he smiled.

I didn't hear a thing after that.

My bond with Eric was suddenly wide open, and the feelings coming through it were indescribably horrible. He was in so much pain. It was worse than anything I had ever felt, even at the hands of Lochlan and Neave. His pain made getting scratched by a Maened, staked or shot all seemed like stubbing a toe by comparison. His pain made having all those things happen _at the same time_ seem like stubbing a toe. I sent Eric all the strength I could muster and pulled as much of his pain as I could through the bond to me. I would much rather experience this agony myself than let him face it alone.

The pain was too much for me to keep myself upright, but when I fell I didn't hit the ground, so I knew someone had caught me. I didn't care. All I could hear was screaming, but it took me a long time to realize I was the one making all the noise.

After what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, the pain subsided. It was still worse than anything I had ever felt, but it was only one-quarter as bad as it had been before. Now that the pain was less overwhelming, I started sensing his other emotions, too. He was angry and afraid, but there were two other feelings there as well: humiliation and shame. I knew that set of feelings; it's exactly how I felt when I was trapped in the car boot in Jackson and Bill raped me.

If my guess was correct, Eric had just been subjected to some sort of sexual violence. I thought of the little he had told me of Ocella, his Maker, and I knew he was no stranger to coercion and force. How bad would it have to be, for someone who had survived so much to feel so terrible about what was happening to him? Even more importantly, I knew that being raped didn't hurt nearly as much as Eric was hurting, even now that the worst of it seemed to be over. What was happening to him?

I wanted to rush to him, to offer him my blood and let him drain me almost dry if that's what it took to make him better. But he hadn't told me where he was going, what he was doing, who he was with, why he had to be there... He told me it was better than I didn't know and I chose to trust him; I had seen so many awful things in the last few years that I was finally willing to let him shield me from things he knew would upset me. Well, more willing than I used to be, anyway.

Then, just as soon as it had started, the pain was gone – but so was Eric. I couldn't feel him through our bond at all; the corner of my mind where I sensed his feelings was completely empty.

It was the most awful thing I'd felt in my life.


	11. Alone

"Eric," I groaned, reaching out my hand as though I might be able to touch him again if I tried hard enough.

Then I started crying in big, heaving sobs. I pushed myself up and found I was lying on my couch. Quinn was sitting on the floor next to me; Amelia, Bill and James were also in the living room. James had been outside working and I assumed Bill had been at his own home across the cemetery; I guessed they heard me screaming and came to help. They all looked worried; even the vampires were showing their concern clearly. Any other time, that alone would've made me panic.

"Are you OK, Sookie?" Quinn asked as he squeezed my hand. "What's wrong?"

"Eric," I sobbed. "Something's happened to Eric."

Amelia brought me a box of tissues and I blew my nose loudly, still bawling my eyes out. Was he really gone? Had he met his final death? The pain he felt, then nothing but emptiness through the bond... I didn't want to believe he was gone, but I couldn't think of a better explanation. Or any other explanation at all. I felt bereft (Word of the Day last week) just contemplating it.

"What happened?" Amelia asked. "What did you feel?"

"So much pain, and then nothing. I can't feel him at all," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "He's gone."

I was vaguely aware that Bill was pressing buttons on his cellphone.

"Pam, it's Bill."

The pause before he spoke again was so short, I was certain Pam wasn't pleased to hear from him.

"It's Sookie. She felt something through the bond. She said Eric was feeling terrible pain, and now she can't feel him at all."

The pause this time was longer.

"She seems to be OK. Quinn said she fainted, but she was screaming. She was so loud I heard her from my place."

During the next pause, Bill's expression turned to annoyance and then anger.

"Goodbye, Pam."

He ended the call and turned to me.

"Pam is with him. He is alive. He has been injured but he will recover," Bill informed us. "He has closed the bond. He said to get on with your life."

But that wasn't what Eric said. Bill had tried to softened the blow, but it was no use. Quinn's super-hearing caught every word Pam said, and I was so desperate for news about Eric that I had rudely used my telepathy to eavesdrop. Eric's actual words were harsher and more definite: "fuck off and leave us alone."

I was too stunned to cry; too stunned even to breathe. It was so blunt, so brutal. I sat there in silence for a few moments, trying to work out what it meant. Then I decided that whatever Eric had to say to me, he could damn well say it himself. I was sick of hearing everything through his flunkies.

"Where is he?" I asked defiantly. "I'm going to see him." I started picking myself up off the couch.

"He made me promise not to tell you," Bill answered regretfully. "He does not want you there, Sookie. He ordered me to keep you here, to make sure you do not go to him."

"What? Why?" I slumped back on the couch. "He doesn't want me to help him?" I could barely muster a whisper to say it.

"Not this time, no," he replied gravely, then tried to sound cheery. "But it is just for now. I'm sure he'll need your telepathy again soon enough. Don't worry, he'll be back."

Ouch.

If I had any doubts at all about what I was to Eric, that pretty much cleared them up. Of course he'd come back; I was his area's _valuable telepath_.

Still, all I wanted to do was go to him. He was in trouble and I longed to help him, but he didn't want me any more. Saving his life had been the only difference between me and his fangbangers, but that was over. The bond was closed, he had gone away, he didn't want me to know where he was or what he was doing. It was over.

_I asked too much of him, and now I have nothing_, I concluded. He didn't even reject me himself, he had his flunkies do it. I felt more alone than I had for a long time.

"Sookie, don't read too much into it," James told me. "I don't know what's going on either, they don't tell me much more than they tell you, but for it to hurt Eric so much... it's bad, I can tell you that. He's a tough old bastard, not much bothers him. Whatever it is, he's trying to shield you from something, which is damn stupid considering how strong you are, but I'm sure he thinks that's the right thing to do. Just give him some time, and I'll see what I can find out from Pam about what's going on with him."

I wasn't really listening though; I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could.

I clumsily tried to get off the couch, tripping over Quinn as I did. He gently set me on my feet and I stumbled out of the room, down the hall and into my bedroom. My numb composure held just long enough for me to slam the door behind me. Then I fell apart.

I sunk to the floor, wailing and sobbing. I curled into a tiny ball, wishing I could slip through the floorboards and disappear.

I didn't bother to open my eyes when the door quietly opened and closed again; I didn't care who was there. I barely noticed when they scooped me up and moved me to the bed, so it was a shock when a big, warm body wrapped around me. Their body heat was comforting in a way that words rarely are, and while nothing could dull the pain, I felt less alone at least.

I cried myself to sleep thinking of Eric, but when I woke the next morning, it was Quinn who held me tight.

* * *

_Author's note: What happened to Eric? See companion piece, "Things we do for Love."_


	12. Hurt

It was the first warm night of the approaching summer and we had the living room door open to let the warm breeze blow through the house.

After the night when Eric shut down our bond, over a week had gone by in a blur. I trained all day, teleported over to check on Hunter each evening and then slept like the dead because I was so exhausted. I ate my meals with Amelia and Quinn, and watched movies with Quinn after dinner. Amelia studied the books of fairy magic most nights, then found an excuse to go talk to James and watch him working - especially if he was doing so without a shirt on. (An increasingly frequent occurrence.)

James was making great progress fixing up my house. He was here every evening fixing things, but he drove back and forth to Shreveport for the day. I was thinking about asking him to stay with us so he didn't have to drive so far; I enjoyed his company and he and Amelia were becoming close, too.

I had spoken to Sam about quitting my job and he handled it well. He told me he'd miss his best waitress, but he knew it was time I moved on. He said that as a friend, he couldn't keep me working for him with a clear conscience because I was meant for bigger things. I still wasn't sure he was right, but I thanked him for saying such kind things anyway.

It had been a tough week, but I was making good progress in my training. Amelia had taught me how to use my fairy powers to move faster and hit harder, and in the last two days I had mastered those skills well enough that they worked consistently. Finally, I stood a chance when I had to fight Supes. After a few more weeks with Quinn, I knew I would be able to win a fight with one of the weaker shifters. I was learning to read his next moves in his mind as we sparred, so I was ready whenever he struck. He was great at finding ways to use my fairy powers in a fight; he even found a few uses for my ability to change outfits magically.

Learning so much so quickly was exhausting, but I was pleased with the results. I was also enjoying spending time with Quinn and James; Quinn understood me better than almost anyone because we'd both had to deal with stuff most people never have to, and James made me laugh at all the odd things in my life.

As good as so many things in my life were, my heart ached for the two males I loved the most: Eric and Hunter. I hadn't heard from Eric that week, and the bond between us was still dead. Part of me was dead with it. Jason once made me watch an episode of a cartoon called _South Park_ where a woman had her dead conjoined twin attached to the side of her head, and it felt like a good analogy for how the dead blood bond felt, still attached to my mind. As for Hunter, I'd seen him every night since my first secret visit just over a week ago and feeling his fear of his own father left me distraught. I was glad to be so busy training because it distracted me from my sadness, anger and worry most of the time.

That evening, as soon as Hunter put his father to sleep after they finished eating dinner, I teleported over to check on him.

Before I got there, I thought Remy was getting hold of himself and wasn't overdoing it when he disciplined his son any more; he hadn't physically hurt Hunter again since the first time I came to check on him. I was hopeful that he would work things out and be a good father again. Tonight, I was going to be proven wrong.

When I popped into Hunter's room, he was lying on his stomach on his bed, crying. I gently sat down next to him and rubbed his back, trying to sooth him.

"Ow," he moaned as he flinched away from me.

As I touched him, a flood of awful images bombarded me. Remy had taken to Hunter with a wooden spoon that afternoon, hitting him over and over in a frenzy. Most of the blows had been to the child's legs and buttocks, but a couple had landed on his back and those hurt him the most.

I also saw why Remy had done it: he had punished Hunter because the boy said Remy's ex, Kristen, had started dating Remy's brother Patrice. He had taken his jealous rage out on his son and the results were terrible.

"Oh, sweetie," I said softly. "I'm so sorry. I need to see how badly you're hurt. May I take a look?"

He nodded into his pillow and I lifted his pajama shirt to see his back. There were three large bruises there, each about the size of my hand. They were already dark purple and looked painful. I was especially worried about the highest of the bruises, which was over his lower ribs and kidney; Quinn had taught me you could do a lot of damage by hitting someone there.

"It really hurts," Hunter sobbed into his pillow.

"I know, sweetie," I said soothingly. "I'm going to take you to hospital to make sure you're OK, and they'll give you something so it hurts less. I need to see the bruises on your bottom and your legs, can you stand up for a minute?"

He got up slowly, moving stiffly from the obvious discomfort. When he was standing, I pulled down his pajama pants and underwear as gently as I could, trying hard not to scrape them on his bruises. He still winced. I was horrified by what I saw: his entire bottom was a big, mottled bruise, and there were at least half a dozen big bruises on his legs. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked at the damage Remy had done to his son. I knew Remy wasn't really a bad person, but he was coping so poorly with his son's gifts that he had become a monster.

I pulled Hunter's pants back up and turned him around to face me. I hugged him very gently around his shoulders, careful to avoid the bruises on his back.

"We need to take you to hospital, Hunter."

"OK, Aunt Sookie," he meekly agreed. "Can they make me better? It hurts when I sit down or when I lie on my back. I can't sleep when I lie on my front. I knew he'd do this if I told him about Patrice and Kristen, but it hurts so much."

"I wish they could make you better right away, but I think it'll hurt for a few days. I'm sorry. They'll give you something so it hurts less, though. Just give me a second to put on a different outfit." He already knew that and was looking for me to reassure him, but without lying to him, it was the best I could do.

He nodded at me with big, sad eyes.

I didn't want Remy to know it was me who took his son to hospital, so I needed a disguise. My best chance to help Hunter was to convince Remy that he wasn't coping and should let someone who understands his son look after him. The more Remy hurt him, the more I wanted to raise Hunter myself. Who else would understand what it's like to grow up telepathic?

I thought about my disguise for a few seconds, then clicked my fingers and I was ready to go. My outfit made me look like a secretary: navy slacks, a white blouse and blue woolen cardigan with conservative, low-heeled navy blue pumps. The outfit was completed with a wig of neat, dark brown, shoulder-length hair and glasses with angular red frames. It was so different to my usual style that I was confident nobody would identify me in my disguise. This new power was proving very useful.

I could teleport myself to the hospital, but I wasn't yet able to teleport anyone with me.

"We need to take your Dad's car to get us there. Can you make sure he doesn't wake up while we're gone?" I asked him.

"Don't worry, he won't," he responded instantly.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Aunt Sookie. He'll sleep the whole time. He had lots of beer today."

I took his hand and led him into the living room, where Remy was asleep in one of the chairs. Hunter walked over to his Dad and fished around in his jeans pocket, then pulled out the car keys. We went outside, got in the car and drove to the hospital. It was a couple of towns over and it took us over half an hour to get there. Sitting in the car seat next to me, Hunter looked so uncomfortable that I felt bad about doing this to him. Still, we needed to be sure he didn't have any serious injuries, and when the doctors saw what his father had done, it would be reported to Social Services.

When we got there, I took him into the Emergency Department and spoke to the receptionist. She was a stocky woman in her 50s, with grey hair and thick glasses. She looked like she had seen everything and wouldn't tolerate any nonsense.

"Hello," I said in my most professional voice, "the little boy here needs to be seen by a doctor."

"What's wrong with him?" the receptionist asked brusquely.

"He's got bruises all over him. He's been hit in the kidney and I'm worried about him."

"And you are?"

"I'm his neighbor. I don't want to get involved, but I heard his father laying into him and when I went to check on him... well, I think he should see a doctor."

"His name?"

"Hunter Savoy."

"You know his address and date of birth?"

"I do."

"And you are?"

"His neighbor."

She looked at me like I was an idiot. "And your name is?"

"Jane Deer."

She instantly knew wasn't my real name, but accepted it without comment anyway.

"Who will be paying the boy's bill?"

"I will. I can pay you in cash tonight."

At that, she nodded; Hunter would be able to see a doctor so long as I paid for it. He told me as much in the car on the way over, so I went to an ATM to get as much cash as I could. He said they'd charge me $800 for the visit and x-rays - a steep discount because I was just his 'neighbor' and I was paying cash - but I withdrew $1,000 just in case. I was so grateful to have the inheritance Niall left me; if this had happened a fortnight ago, I wouldn't have been able to take Hunter to hospital.

"Just fill these out and I'll get you in to see the doctor shortly."

I took the forms and filled out everything I could, although I had to leave a couple of questions blank because I didn't have the information they wanted. I returned the forms to her and she glanced at them, then nodded at me. I sat down in the waiting area and Hunter stood next to me. It was a bleak, gray room with hard seats and nothing to occupy people while they waited.

The doctor called Hunter's name ten minutes later. He looked young enough to be in medical school, but a quick read of his mind told me he was a few years older than he looked, he had studied very diligently and he was an excellent doctor. He appeared to be Indian and was slim, with a kind-looking face. I liked him immediately.

"I'm Dr Patel," he introduced himself.

I wasn't sure what to say, so I just said, "Pleased to meet you. This is Hunter."

The doctor ushered us through to a curtained-off cubicle with a hospital bed in it, then crouched down in front of Hunter.

"I hear you're not feeling great, Hunter," the doctor said, looking him in the eye. "What happened to you?"

"My Dad got mad and hit me," Hunter whispered, staring at his feet. He was clinging to my legs, his body half-hidden behind me.

Dr. Patel looked alarmed for a split-second before a mask of professional calm descended.

"Where did he hit you?"

"My bottom, my legs and my back."

"Did he hit you with his hand?"

Hunter shook his head. "The wooden spoon."

"Hunter, I need to see where your Dad hit you. Would you mind if I take a look?"

Hunter kept hiding behind me.

"It's OK, sweetie," I encouraged him. "Show the doctor your bruises and he'll give you something to make you feel better."

He slowly came out from behind me and turned around, lifting his shirt to show the bruises on his back. The doctor examined them gently, trying not to hurt the child. He was concerned and angry about Hunter's injuries, but kept his feelings from showing on his face. He thought it was unprofessional for doctors to show their emotions.

"I just need to take a look at your bottom as well. Is that OK, Hunter?"

The boy nodded and the doctor gently pulled down his pajama pants and underwear down. He examined the bruises carefully and pulled his pants back up again, then stood to speak to me.

"He has other bruises as well," I volunteered. "The ones on the tops of his arms have mostly healed, and there's one behind his left ear as well."

"May I take a look, Hunter?" Dr Patel asked.

He checked the bruise on Hunter's head, then lifted up the short sleeves of his pajama top one at a time to see the bruises on his arms. He looked grim for a second, then went back to the neutral expression he usually wore. He was thinking how awful it was that anyone could do this to a child.

"The nurse tells me you're his neighbor?" he said to me.

"I heard what happened from my place and it sounded real bad so I went over to check on him. When I saw how bad it was, I brought him in."

"Do his parents know he's here?"

"No. His mother's dead and his father was out cold. Hunter said he drank a lot of beer today, so I don't think you'll wake him."

The doctor just nodded. "We called the home phone number you gave us and got no answer. We have to get parental consent before we treat a child unless it's an emergency, but I'll see if I can send him for x-rays. I'll be right back."

He came back a couple of minutes later and took Hunter to another room. I had to wait outside while the x-rays were done, then we went back to the curtained-off cubicle. Half an hour later, Dr. Patel came to speak to us again.

"Well, I'm pleased to say you don't have any broken bones, Hunter," the doctor announced with a smile. "You should be all better in a week or two. In the meantime," he said to me, "some children's Tylenol will help with the pain. The chewable ones are probably best for him. He can have two or three at a time, and you can give them to him four or five times a day."

"I'll get him some on the way home, but I'm not sure his father will give him any and I don't think Hunter's old enough to decide when to take them himself."

"I'll call his father again in the morning when he's slept it off and tell him to give his son the Tylenol if you'd like?"

"No!" Hunter shouted. "Please don't call my father. He'll hurt me if you do."

"I won't call your father if you don't want me to, Hunter," the doctor assured him. Then he looked at me again. "I do have to report this to Social Services though, you understand."

"I'm glad to hear that," I told him honestly. "Maybe they can work out how to help Hunter without making his father angry."

"I hope so too," the doctor agreed. "I'd like to take photos of his bruises to pass on to them. Do you mind if I do that, Hunter?"

Hunter nodded and the doctor took the pictures, then we left. I stopped at the receptionist's desk on the way out to pay the bill in cash, so there was no evidence that I had been the one to take him to hospital. Then I bought some children's Tylenol at the drugstore next to the hospital. When I drove Hunter home, Remy was still asleep in his favorite recliner where we left him, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you going to be OK, sweetie?" I asked Hunter just before I left.

"It will only hurt for three or four days," he responded matter-of-factly, "I'll be fine. You can give me Tylenol when you come see me at night. Then I'll be able to sleep."

"If you need Tylenol in the day, just call me and I'll pop over. And if this ever happens again, you call to me as loudly as you can in your head, OK? I'll come and stop things. Please, don't let your Dad do this again. Promise me?"

"No, Aunt Sookie," he said firmly. "I knew he'd do this if I told him about Kristen and Patrice. He has to hurt me again before I get to live with you. If you stop him now I'll have to stay with him. I want to live with you. Things will be better when I live with you. Being hurt for a bit is OK 'cos then you can be my Mom. But if you come in the day, he'll catch you and won't let me live with you."

I was astonished to hear that come out of my not-quite-five year old nephew's mouth. He was willing to put up with physical pain to get what he needed. I didn't know a lot about children, but I was pretty sure that not-quite-five year olds weren't supposed to understand about delayed gratification or doing things you hate to get the outcome you need.

I gaped at him. "If you really think it's for the best, I won't argue with you, Hunter. But please think about what I said. Nobody has the right to do this to you and I will stop your father from hurting you."

"Thank you, Aunt Sookie," he smiled. "I know you will. And remind Quinn to keep his promise when he leaves tonight."

I was too upset to tell Hunter that Quinn wasn't leaving tonight, so I let the comment slide. I gave him a big hug and we said our goodbyes; then I popped home.


	13. Bad news

When I popped back into my living room, Quinn was waiting for me. I snapped my fingers and the disguise I wore to the hospital was replaced with the outfit I was wearing before I left, just as he looked up from the book he was reading.

"You were gone a long time. Is Hunter OK?"

I shook my head and started crying. "I had to take him to hospital."

Quinn looked shocked. "His father?" He got up and hugged me tightly, rubbing my back to try and soothe me.

I nodded against his chest. "Got mad because his ex is dating his brother and took it out on Hunter."

"How bad is it? Will he be OK?"

"No broken bones, just bruises. He'll be alright in a few days. It's still awful though."

"God, what an asshole. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I really don't. Let's just watch the movie." If I talked about it, I'd cry all night.

I heard exactly what Quinn thought of people who hurt children (they were on his 'OK to kill' list) but he said nothing more about it. He picked up the remote control and we both sat down on the couch in silence.

Moments later, Amelia brought in a bowl of popcorn. She placed it on the couch between us, then excused herself to study Niall's books and prepare for my training in the morning. I heard in her thoughts that she knew something bad had happened to Hunter because I'd been gone so long, but she couldn't stand to hear about it. I couldn't blame her for wanting to avoid this; the weak part of me wished I hadn't gone tonight, because I knew I'd never forget what I saw in Hunter's head. Facing an attacker as an adult was bad enough, but to a child, a single angry adult seemed like an unstoppable force of destruction... and if it was a person you loved and trusted, being harmed instead of protected by them did far more damage than the bruises possibly could.

Quinn and I got comfortable on the couch together and started the DVD we rented from Bon Temps' only hire place. It was my night to choose so we were going to watch _Juno_, which I'd wanted to see it for a while but hadn't had a chance before. I was looking forward to the distraction; whenever I thought of Hunter, tears formed in my eyes.

Watching the movie, tucked against Quinn's side with his arm around me and my head on his chest, I relaxed so much that I fell asleep. It wasn't that I didn't like the movie - it was interesting and funny - but even after waitressing for years, training with Quinn was more exercise than I'd ever done before. I needed a lot of sleep to soothe my aching muscles each night. I hadn't expected to sleep at all, being so upset that night, but I was so worn out from the emotional upheaval of the evening that I simply couldn't stay conscious.

I had gone to sleep on Quinn's shoulder a few times in the last week. We joked that he "took me to bed" most nights, because he carried me into my room and tucked me under the covers. I now usually put on pajamas or a nightdress before we sat down to watch a movie because I was dead to the world once I fell asleep. I enjoyed being so domestic with a man, even if we weren't dating any more. It was such a simple happiness, snuggling on the couch in my nightdress to watch a movie, but I loved sharing such mundane intimacies with someone. I was so used to being alone that I appreciated every little bit of companionship.

I was woken just after 2am by the sound and vibration of Quinn's cell phone, which was ringing in his pocket against my ear. He must've fallen asleep next to me on the couch, because we were both still there. We started watching the movie very late after I got home from taking Hunter to hospital, and I guessed neither of us were awake for the ending. A blanket had been draped over us and the popcorn bowl had disappeared. I silently thanked Amelia, figuring she was the one to cover us up and take the bowl.

I shook Quinn to wake him up. "Hey, that's your phone," I said in his ear.

His eyes flickered open as he pulled the phone from his pocket. Who on earth would be calling so late tonight?

"Quinn here."

He sat listening to the person on the other end, and his expression got increasingly grim as he did.

"What are you doing to find her?" he asked.

The response was clearly too long-winded for Quinn's taste; he was fidgeting as the other person talked.

"Fine," he eventually muttered, snapping the phone shut.

"Is everything OK?" I asked.

"It will be," he said as he rose from the couch, "but I have to go for a while to sort things out."

"What's happening? Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about, but I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can, hopefully in a couple of days or so."

In my sleep-muddled state, I couldn't think what else to ask; and even if I had, he was already walking into the spare room. He came out two minutes later with his bag packed. While he was out of the room, Hunter's comment popped into my head. I wasn't sure why he said it, but I figured he must have a good reason.

"I'm sorry, babe. I wish I didn't have to do this," he apologized.

I sighed. "I hope things work out OK, whatever it is that's going on. Hunter told me to remind you before you left, to keep your promise to me. So I guess I've given you the message now."

"Thanks," he muttered, distracted, as he walked out the front door.

_One more man leaving me,_ I thought to myself. _I should be used to it by now._

I got up from the couch and went into my bedroom to get some more rest.


	14. Spells

It felt like I only just gone back to sleep when someone sat on my bed and started shaking me.

"Wake up, wake up." It was Quinn's voice.

"What's wrong?" I asked wearily.

"I'm sorry I took off like that. I got about 15 minutes down the road before I remembered what I promised you, and what Hunter said would happen if I broke that promise. I don't want you to get hurt, so I guess we'd better figure something out."

I sat up and stretched, trying to force some alertness. "Why did you leave?"

"My mother got out of the place where she lives. I was going to get the next plane to Nevada so I could find her before anything bad happens. Or, I guess, clear up the mess she's made." He sounded resigned to being his mother's clean-up crew again.

"So we need to find out where she is first," I half-asked, half-stated.

He nodded, so I hopped out out of bed and walked out of the room, starting down the hallway. Quinn followed me.

"Where are you going?" he asked, worried I was freaking out and leaving.

"To wake Amelia. We need a locator spell."

"Oh. Good idea." He sounded almost surprised to be saying it.

He moved to follow me up the stairs to her room, but I motioned for him to wait. I didn't think Amelia would want anyone else to see her sleeping; even I was invading her privacy by going up there, but I knew she would understand.

When I got upstairs I knocked on her bedroom door, then opened it slowly. She was fast asleep, oblivious to me. I sat down on her bed and said "Wake up, Amelia" a few times. When that didn't work, I shook her shoulders gently and she slowly woke.

"What do you want?" she sounded really cranky. "It's the middle of the night."

"I'm sorry to wake you," I apologized. "It's an emergency and we need a really powerful witch to help us."

"What sort of help?" she suddenly sounded interested and sat up in bed.

"Locator spell."

"Oooh," she said excitedly. "Who are we locating?"

"Quinn's Mom. She lives in a place for troubled shifters in Nevada, out in the desert, but she's escaped."

"OK, I'll get what I need."

She was out of bed now, looking at her bookshelf. She found two books and handed them to me.

"Will there be much to carry downstairs? Quinn can help if there is," I offered.

"We should be fine, there's really not much."

She handed me a few bottles of herbs and other things. I couldn't identify most of the contents, and I was pretty sure I didn't want to know what some of the squishy things bottled in fluid that she kept on her shelf were.

"Take those down to the kitchen and find me a map of Nevada and a photo of Quinn's mother," she commanded. "Tell him a personal item would be better... ideally hair or nail clippings, or a piece of jewelry she wears a lot. Something she uses every day like her favorite pen or coffee mug would work, too. But I guess he doesn't have any of those here, so a photo will be OK."

I took the things she'd given me and went downstairs. Quinn was waiting for me at the foot of the staircase with a picture of his mother, which was bent around the edges as though it had been in his wallet for months.

"I've got a road atlas of the whole country in my truck. There's a map of Nevada in it. If we need a more detailed one for just part of the state, maybe we can print one off the internet?"

I wasn't even surprised he heard everything Amelia told me upstairs; I was almost used to Supe hearing now.

"Amelia's got a printer upstairs, so that should work," I agreed.

Quinn retrieved his road atlas and put it on the kitchen table. Amelia came into the kitchen a minute later with the rest of her supplies. She got to work immediately, without speaking a word. She wasn't being rude, just concentrating very intensely.

"Hold this," she told Quinn, handing him the photo of his mother, "and think about your Mom. Try to evoke how she feels to you, we're trying to imbue the photo with her essence. You need to tune into her energy in your memories and push that energy onto the photo. It might help to look at the photo, it can make it easier to focus."

He did as she asked and she walked around him three times, waving a burning bunch of dried hands and chanting in a language I didn't understand. When she was done, she took the photo from him and used her hands to sense the energy on it.

"I'm pretty sure it worked. It's impossible to know for sure without a psychometrist here to read it for us, but something changed then. Well, the proof of the pudding and all that."

"Can you do that for anyone?" I asked, curious. "Imbue a photo with their essence, I mean?"

"No, I can only do it because Quinn's her son, he came from her body so he's connected to her."

She was working as she spoke, and her manner told me it was no time for further discussion. She put a thick leather glove on her right hand, mixed a bunch of ingredients together in an ornate metal bowl, then placed it on top of the road atlas, which was open to the map of Nevada. She tucked the photo of Quinn's mother between the bowl and the atlas. She added a jagged green crystal to bowl, then looked at the spell book she was using for a few moments and started chanting in yet another language. She repeated the same four phrases over and over. She set the contents of the bowl on fire and kept chanting as they burned, holding the bowl just above the photo and atlas with her gloved hand. After a couple of minutes, the crystal started glowing brightly. She waited until the fire had gone out, then put the bowl to one side and carefully took the crystal from it and moved the photo.

She held the crystal over the atlas, waiting for something to happen. After about five minutes, she let out a long breath.

"Didn't work," she huffed. "It looked like it did, but it hasn't found her. Now I've got to figure out why."

She studied her spell book carefully for a few minutes, while Quinn and I waited silently. Eventually, she sighed loudly.

"I did the spell correctly and it sure looked like it worked, right up to the part where it didn't find her. Even if she was dead, that spell should tell me where she is. I'm going to try something else. I'll go get some supplies."

She walked back upstairs and Quinn gave me a worried look.

"Are you sure she can do this?" he asked.

"I'm sure. Amelia's great. This isn't a difficult spell for her, there must be some reason why it couldn't find your Mom."

He just nodded and sat in silence.

Amelia was back in less than two minutes and went right back to work, setting up a different spell.

"Quinn, can you show me the exact spot where your mother lives?" she asked, handing him the road atlas.

He handed it back to her a moment later, pointing at a spot in the south of the state.

"Whispering Palms is north-east of Tonopah, about an inch away on that map. Really isolated."

Amelia nodded. "We'll probably need a more detailed map of that area."

"If you've got a printer, I can find one on the internet."

"Good idea. Sookie can show you where my laptop and my printer are while I finish setting up."

I took him upstairs and showed him. Ten minutes later, we were downstairs with a more detailed map. Amelia was waiting for us, ready to start. James was in the kitchen too, and I saw in Amelia's head that he'd come in to offer his help; she was trying to figure out whether there was anything he could do.

"What time did your mother leave?" she asked as we walked in, her attention turning back to the spell.

"They think she got out at about 10pm their time, which was midnight here. They called me at 2am."

She nodded and made the last of her preparations, then cast the spell.

This time, a pottery bowl was used, and it was filled with a mix of different-colored powders. She began chanting from her other spell book, and the chant was much more complex than the last one. She added a few drops of something to the powder and it fizzed loudly as it all turned white. She lifted up the bowl and I saw that the photo of Mrs Quinn was under it.

She poured the sand onto the map we had printed, and the sand glowed. She poured it where Quinn said the facility was, and the sand moved onto that spot. She kept pouring and the sand stacked itself into a square tower, right on the spot where Mrs. Quinn had been.

"Wow," I whispered.

"Impressive," Quinn agreed.

James stayed silent, but the look he was giving Amelia made it clear that he liked what he saw.

Amelia shot us a smile. "Your Mom was definitely there at nine o'clock. As the sand changes color, it'll show us where she went from there, hour by hour."

A small amount of the sand snaked out of the bottom of the tower, heading south in a not-quite-straight line and turning yellow as it went.

"That looks like the road back to Tonopah," Quinn said. "I'm pretty sure that's the exact path it takes. She must've got a lift from someone, it looks like she moved pretty fast."

The sand reached its destination and pooled on a second spot.

"That's where the airport is," he told us. "It's out of town and there's not much else around it, so she must've gone to the airport."

"That's why the other spell didn't work; she's on a plane. It only works for people who are on the ground," Amelia explained. "I should've realized!"

Then some of the sand jumped to the road atlas, which was next to the printed map, still open to Nevada. It landed on Las Vegas and turned orange.

"She flew to Vegas," Quinn concluded.

"I don't think she's still there, since the other spell didn't work," Amelia said. "She must've changed planes."

Quinn looked at her in disbelief. "Where on earth would she go?"

"I know someone who might be able to tell us," I suggested.

"Hunter?" Amelia asked.

I nodded and left with a pop, taking Mrs. Quinn's photo with me.

A second later, I was in Hunter's room. He was fast asleep on his stomach and I felt bad about waking him, especially after what he'd been through that afternoon, but I really needed his help. I shook him gently.

_Hi Hunter, it's me. Talk in our heads, OK?_ I asked him.

He fluttered his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. He gave me a funny look, then figured out what was happening.

_Hi Aunt Sookie. Quinn trusted you, right? He came back for your help?_

I nodded. _His mother escaped from the place where she lives and caught a plane somewhere. We need to know where she's going and when she'll get there. I brought her photo in case that helps you?_

He took the photo from my hand and concentrated. _She gets to Shreveport at 6:30 this morning. She's on a plane to New Orleans now, then she changes planes. Quinn can meet her at Shreveport and explain things to her. Then she'll go back._

_Thanks Hunter, you're a life-saver._

_Maybe. She might've only hurt you. It wasn't certain she'd kill you._

I smiled. _It's an expression, it means you really helped me. Is that why she's coming here? To hurt me?_

He nodded. _Someone told her that Quinn's your prisoner. She's coming to save him from you._

I almost laughed out loud at the idea of me keeping Quinn prisoner. _OK, I'll tell him that. Anything else I should know?_

_Someone's supposed to meet her at the airport. They'll be really hard to find. If you do see them, you'll need lots of people to catch them. Really strong people like Weres. But you still probably won't get them._

_Thanks Hunter, I'll tell Quinn. You go back to sleep now, we'll be fine._

I gave him another dose of Tylenol before I left.


	15. Airport

I popped back to my kitchen and repeated everything Hunter told me to Quinn and Amelia. We decided to go to Shreveport and meet Mrs. Quinn at the airport, and Amelia went upstairs to get dressed and gather some magical supplies, just in case we had trouble finding her. I gave Quinn back the photo of his Mom and he tucked it back into his wallet. James came inside again to ask if there was anything he could do to help us, but none of us could think of anything, so he went back to his work instead.

As we were getting ready to leave, I thought about what Hunter told me about the person who would be there to meet Mrs. Quinn, and how we would need some backup to have any chance of catching them - Were backup. I picked up my phone to call Alcide, then remembered what happened the last time I asked a favor of him and thought better of it. Then I realized how important it was to find out who sent her and why, and picked up my phone again. I couldn't quite bring myself to dial the number, though, so I just stood there dumbly, holding my phone in the hallway as I silently mourned Tray all over again.

_He'll help you, _Hunter's voice was suddenly in my head. _Tell him the Donnelly guys ripped him off. Tell him to check their work. It will save him fifty or sixty thousand dollars. That's enough to make it worth helping you. He would've found out in a week or so.__ It won't change things if he finds out now, instead.__ But it will make him want to help you._

_Thanks Hunter_, I replied gratefully, pleased I had something to offer Alcide in return for his assistance. _Now go back to sleep, sweetie. We'll be OK, I promise._

_I know_. _Night, Aunt Sookie._

I dialed Alcide's number and it rang a dozen times before he finally picked up.

"Sookie," he answered gruffly, "it's 4am."

"I know, I'm real sorry to wake you," I apologized. "I wouldn't call unless it was urgent. You know that, right?"

"What do you want?" He didn't sound pleased.

"I'll get to that in a minute," I promised, "but first, I heard something you should know. The Donnelly guys are ripping you off. You need to go check all the work they've done for you."

"Oh." He sounded stunned. "Damn... I've been meaning to go check, just haven't had time... how did you even know?"

"Best not to ask."

"Uh-huh. But what do you want in return?" There was a note of suspicion in his voice, and I guessed he was worried what I might extort from him.

"It's not like that!" I snapped. "You're not obligated to help me, beyond whatever the usual customs are for a Friend of the Pack. I heard something you needed to know, and I passed it on, is all. It'll save you fifty or sixty grand, I hear."

"OK, that came out wrong. But you need help with something?"

"Yes," I agreed, calming down. "Quinn's Mom is having one of her episodes, and apparently she's on the way here because she's got it in her head that I'm harming him somehow."

Alcide laughed loudly, but stopped abruptly when he realized the implication of what I said. "Look, I'm not sure my whole pack could protect you from an enraged weretiger, Sookie, especially not a crazy one. If you call on us as a Friend of the Pack, we have to come help you, but a few of us won't survive it, and you probably won't, either."

Quinn appeared in front of me then and gestured for the phone. He had been hovering nearby, listening to the conversation, and I figured he decided it was time for him to take over then. I handed him my phone reluctantly, because even though he was far more qualified than I was to sort out something like this, I didn't think I was handling things _that_ badly... I did work out how to find his Mom, after all.

"You have my word that my mother won't harm anyone in your pack," Quinn said calmly into the phone. "I'll make sure she doesn't."

He paused for a moment while Alcide responded, then brusquely told him, "You'd better talk to Sookie, she's the one with the intel."

I stared at him in shock as he handed the phone back to me, amazed that he wasn't taking over after all. I didn't realize my mouth was hanging open 'til he reached out and gently pushed under my jaw to close it.

"Don't look so stunned," he told me as he leaned over and kissed my forehead. "I'm just the muscle today, babe, you're the one with all the resources. I'd be running around chasing my tail if it wasn't for you."

He sauntered off without another word, leaving me to talk to Alcide.

"Hey," I greeted him again as I brought the phone back to my ear.

"So you're back together with Quinn," he said happily. "Good to see you've finally ditched the dead guys."

I sighed loudly. "Quinn and I are just friends. I'm still with Eric."

"But he just kissed you," he retorted. "Or isn't the vamp supposed to know that?"

"On the _forehead_, Alcide. As friends sometimes do."

"He still wouldn't like it. Quinn at your place at four in the morning kissing you."

"Eric knows he's here," I muttered through gritted teeth, "and he's learning to accept how physically affectionate fairies are. Not that it's any of your business, and it's certainly not what I called to discuss with you."

"Fine, I'll drop it. So what do you need, Sookie?" He sounded like his mood had improved greatly, so I figured he might actually help.

"Mrs. Quinn got out of Whispering Palms again, and according to my... _intel_," the word seemed funny to me, but I sure wasn't about to say 'according to my nephew the telepathic seer', "she's flying into Shreveport on a flight that gets in at 6:30 this morning. Quinn will meet her there so she doesn't cause any trouble, but we've also got to try and find the person she's supposed to meet, who was going to bring her over to my place and set her loose, we assume."

"So that's where we come in."

"Exactly. I don't think the person will be easy to find, especially once they spot Quinn there, so having a couple extra people would really help. Especially people with excellent sight and hearing, who can move very fast to catch up with someone if they need to."

_Tell him I'll owe him a favor, too, if it helps,_ Quinn projected loudly from wherever he was, obviously still listening in.

"OK, I think I can spare someone for a couple hours for a Friend of the Pack... especially if your info about the Donnellys is good."

"It's as good as anything I hear," I told him, knowing he'd assume I overheard it in someone's thoughts.

"Good. Well, if she's flying in, I guess we should meet you at the airport?"

"That would be perfect. Can you be there about 6am?"

"Sure, I'll meet you in the arrivals area. See you then."

With a click, he was gone.

I used my fairy powers to get dressed and ready right there in the hallway, then went into the living room where Quinn was waiting for Amelia and I. Worry radiated from him, so I sat down next to him and took his hand.

"It'll be OK," I told him.

"Thanks to you," he said. "If it weren't for you, I'd be on a plane to Nevada and you'd have to face my mother on your own."

"It's a good thing you came back, then," I smiled at him.

"Thank you so much, Sookie. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

"You're welcome."

"You don't mind helping me with my Mom? This isn't your problem, even if she is coming after you."

"No. I never really minded that you look after your family, there just didn't seem to be room for me in your life as well."

He sighed. "I thought I was doing the right thing, avoiding you when I was in trouble. I guess I was wrong. You, Amelia and Hunter have sorted this out much better than I could."

Before I could reply, Amelia came downstairs with a bag of magic supplies, ready to leave.

We got into Quinn's truck and started driving, each lost in our own thoughts. The level of tension was almost unbearable.

Quinn was worried that his mother had hurt someone, and what he might have to do to clean up after her this time. He was pretty sure the annoyances of airline trouble would be enough to set her off, and hoped she hadn't killed some flight attendant who made her fold up her tray table, or someone in the next seat who accidentally elbowed her, or anyone else who irritated her. He was tallying up the number of witnesses there would be if she had hurt someone on a plane, and how much it would cost to buy the silence of that many people, as well as the victim's family. It was a staggering sum, but he was so certain of the costs involved that I knew he'd had to do it before.

At the same time, Amelia was mentally checking and re-checking that she had all the supplies she would need for every spell that might come in handy, since she wasn't entirely convinced Quinn would be able to handle his mother. She wasn't worried for her own safety – she wore a magical amulet Niall left her so she could train me safely, which would undo any injury she suffered – but she wasn't sure she had the magical juice to stop Mrs. Quinn from hurting me and anyone else who might get in her way, if Quinn couldn't stop her.

I pulled my mental shields up around me, so I only had to listen to my own worries about facing a crazy, angry weretiger who hated me. It took all my concentration to block them both out, which thankfully left me little leftover mental energy for my own anxieties.

We got to Shreveport airport at 5:45am and found out when the flights from New Orleans were coming in. There were three different flights coming in around 6:30, but just one exit into the baggage claim area, so we decided to wait there.

Alcide got there at 6am with two other Weres, who he introduced as Pete and Mark. I knew them both by sight, but had never spoken to either of them before. The two Weres were physically opposite in almost every way – Pete was short and stocky with limp light brown hair and pale skin, and dressed very slickly for Northern Louisiana, whereas Mark was tall and slender with dark curly hair and mocha skin, and seemed to be dressed for a workout – but I could see immediately from their thoughts that they were close friends.

Pete and Mark were both thrilled to meet Quinn, each beaming widely as they shook his hand. Amongst Supes, Quinn is something of a celebrity; the legendary undefeated champion of the pits. Despite never having met him before, both Weres thought they knew a lot about him – but their image of him was very different to the gentle, intelligent, socially aware man I knew. I had only ever seen him be violent to protect those he cared about, but most Supes expected him to shift, tear someone's leg off and eat it at any moment. It was oddly jarring seeing what others thought of him, especially since they admired him so much for something I knew he was ambivalent about, at best.

To anyone else, he would've seemed completely at ease with their attention, but I could feel his gnawing discomfort at their awed expressions. He thanked them graciously for coming to help, but when Pete said he was a huge fan, I heard Quinn think, _You don't know anything about me, you fucking idiot__._ I gave him a look of surprise, because I had never heard him think something so uncharitable about anyone before. _He only thinks I'm great because I killed a bunch of people_, Quinn explained silently, _and they only had to die because assholes like him enjoy watching people get torn to pieces in front of a screaming crowd. The things I had to do to keep those fuckwits happy.._.

Then his mind was abruptly closed to me, as though he had slammed a door shut in my face. I recoiled a little in shock, because I'd only known one other person who could do that, and he's a telepath like me. I probably could've pushed past Quinn's mental 'keep out' sign if I wanted, but I knew it would be wrong to invade his privacy like that. He didn't want me to see what he had to do to survive in the pits, and I was fairly certain I didn't want to know all the gory details.

It suddenly hit me how awful it must be for him, for everyone to know the very worst things he'd ever done and define him by that. I was in no position to judge him for having killed so he could live because I had done the same, though thankfully far fewer times than he had. I was grateful that I had been allowed to keep my own misdeeds from the world at large, so only a very select few knew what I was capable of when my life or those I cared about were threatened. I wondered whether that was why he didn't tell me about it himself; whether it was somehow pleasant for him to be around someone who wasn't awestruck by his reputation as a ferocious killing machine.

"Sookie, are you OK?" Alcide asked, giving me a concerned look.

"I'm fine," I nodded. "Just a little worried about facing a pissed off weretiger who hates me," I added, getting back to the topic at hand.

"I won't let her hurt you," Quinn promised. "I'll deal with her," he told our motley little gathering, "everyone else needs to stay well back, OK?"

There were mumbles of "sure" and "fine" all around, since none of us were exactly keen to face Mrs. Quinn.

"Y'all know what's going on?" I asked Pete and Mark, and they both nodded. I saw in Mark's head that Alcide had briefed them well, so there was little more for me to tell them. "If we spread out around the exits from the baggage claim area, hopefully we'll spot the person who's supposed to meet her here."

As soon as I said it, a wave of glee emanated from the three Weres. They each anticipated a fight and were looking forward to it.

"There won't be any fighting," I added carefully, "you're here because you have great sight and hearing, you can move real fast and you're strong enough to detain someone without making a big scene. Are we clear?"

All I got in reply were disappointed nods, but that was fine by me.

We went down to the baggage claim area and took our places at 6:15am to wait for her. Quinn was standing where his mother would see him as she walked out. Amelia, Alcide, Pete, Mark and I spread out around the doors that led to the taxis and car park. We were all on high alert, scanning our surroundings carefully, but trying to look casual while we did, so we didn't spook whoever it was who would be here to meet her.

I briefly thought of trying to contact Hunter and ask him whether he could see the person in his visions, but when I reached out to him I could feel that he was fast asleep, and I simply didn't have the heart to wake him. He had been hurt badly the previous afternoon and I had already woken him once to get his help; that was enough for one day. Besides, our telepathic connection was weak over this long a distance so I wasn't sure I could shake him awake mentally... and I sure wasn't about to teleport out of a busy airport if I could help it.

The minutes seemed to drag, and by 6:30am my heart was pounding. Amelia was more relaxed than I was – now that we had so much backup on hand, she was pretty sure she wouldn't have to fight and felt relieved about that – but the Weres were so tense I could feel it from across the room. Even Quinn was anxious, which was unlike him.

But after all the drama of finding her and getting here in time, Mrs. Quinn's arrival was a complete anticlimax. She walked into the baggage claim area at 6:32am and saw Quinn immediately. She looked shocked, but hugged him tightly. They talked quietly for a few minutes while the rest of us kept scanning the area carefully, trying to find the person who was there to meet her.

_She doesn't know what they look like. They were supposed to have a sign with her name on it_, Quinn told me. _She's fixing for a fight, so I'd better keep her away from everyone._

I was going to walk around to all the others and tell them, but I told Amelia first and the Weres all nodded at me from their vantage points. They heard me, even over the background noise of the baggage claim area. Sometimes I forgot how amazing Weres' hearing is.

The next hour dragged, as we all stood around hoping Mrs. Quinn's welcoming committee would show up. We knew it was unlikely they would make themselves known to her while she was talking to her son, so we were looking for anyone who turned around and left when they saw her. If they came, all of us missed them. We were all disappointed except Mrs. Quinn; she was just thrilled to see her son and know he was OK. She glared at me a lot, even after Quinn had told her three times that I wasn't holding him prisoner, so I kept my distance. Every time she looked at me her thoughts snarled up in anger, so I knew she still held a grudge against me, simply because I split up with her son.

_I think we missed them_, Quinn eventually admitted, _and I don't think I can keep her calm just standing around here much longer. _

I nodded and went to talk to Alcide, with Amelia following close behind.

"We missed them, didn't we?" Alcide asked as we walked over.

"I think so," I confirmed. "Quinn thinks so, too."

When I glanced over in his direction, he was talking on his phone, and I 'heard' in his thoughts that he was on the phone to Whispering Palms to tell them he had found his mother.

"Do we still have to keep away from her?" Pete asked as he came over to join us, wishing he could spend more time with his 'hero'.

I almost rolled my eyes at him, but stopped myself just in time. "Quinn says she's fixing for a fight, and it's taking a lot for him to keep her calm. I'd stay back, if I were you."

"But you haven't even talked to him," Pete complained, sounding much like a disappointed child.

This time, I did roll my eyes. "Didn't Alcide tell you I'm telepathic?" I asked sweetly, knowing full well that Alcide told him, but he didn't believe it.

As Pete shuffled uncomfortably in front of me and cleared his throat a couple of times, Quinn's voice was suddenly in my head again.

_Whispering Palms is sending a couple people to come get her, but they won't be here 'til this evening. I really have to get her out of here now, she won't stay calm much longer. _

I could feel his Mom's simmering rage all the way across the room, so I simply nodded at him. He was so tense it was almost painful to have his mind brush against mine.

_Will you and Amelia be OK to get home? If I take my truck, I can get her out to the nearest forest for a run, that usually settles her down. I'll see you tonight, if that's alright?_

I gave him a big smile and a nod to say it was fine, then waved him goodbye as unobtrusively as I could.

_Sorry_, he apologized as he led her to the exit furthest from our little grouping, which also now included Mark. I rolled my eyes at Quinn to refuse his apology, and he actually smiled a little as he left.

Watching me hold a silent conversation with Quinn across the room had made my telepathy a little too real to the two new Weres, and even Alcide looked uncomfortable about it. I was glad to have Amelia, who wasn't remotely bothered by my 'gift', standing beside me thinking normal, not-freaked-out thoughts.

"There goes our ride, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah. Quinn says sorry, but he needs to get her out of here right now. He's gonna take her out into the forest somewhere nearby for a run, said it would calm her down."

Pete was wondering which forest they were going to, and whether they might let a lowly Were tag along on their run.

I fixed him with a sharp look. "Not a good idea unless you've got a death wish," I muttered, and he and Mark both instantly upgraded their unease around me to outright fear.

"Someone from Whispering Palms will be here this evening to take Mrs. Quinn back, so she'll be off your patch soon," I told the Weres.

"That's a relief," Alcide smiled. "I've got some business to attend to over your way, so how about I drive you and Amelia home?" he offered, lying about his work there.

I knew we should get a taxi back to Bon Temps, or hire a car for the day to drive ourselves home, but before I could decline, Amelia had accepted for us.

"Thank you, that's so nice of you," she beamed at him. "Sookie and I didn't get much sleep last night, trying to work out where Mrs. Quinn was."

Then she started telling him about the spells she used to find Quinn's Mom, and I gratefully followed them out to the car park in silence, wondering who had sent Mrs. Quinn to hurt me. We said goodbye to Pete and Mark when we reached Alcide's truck, and I thanked them again for coming to help.

"Oh, my pleasure," Mark replied immediately, thinking how great it was to have not only met Quinn, but to have helped him too. I had to stifle yet another eye roll, and I wondered how Quinn could stand being idolized for killing people.

Alcide tried to make small talk as he started driving us home, but neither Amelia nor I were much use conversationally. Now that we no longer feared for our lives, the adrenaline that had kept us both alert for the last few hours was gone and the sleepless night was fast catching up with both of us. The gentle motion of the moving car put her to sleep in under five minutes, and before we were even out of Shreveport, I was asleep too. We slept the whole way back to Bon Temps, waking only when the gravel of my driveway shook us out of our slumber. I thanked Alcide profusely as I wandered into the house to sleep some more.

The big question mark over Mrs. Quinn's visit and who had sent her here bothered me, but I was simply too tired to worry about that yet.


	16. Intentions

Quinn didn't return until late that evening, but Amelia and I put the time alone to good use. When she got home from work just before dinner time, we opened a bottle of wine and had a long girl talk, sprawled out on the couches in my living room.

"C'mon, give me one good reason why you shouldn't be with him," she was hassling me about Quinn. Again.

"Eric," I replied.

"I said a good reason."

"Oh, right, 'cos loving someone else _isn't _a good reason."

"Fine, keep kidding yourself," she rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm not kidding myself, Amelia!" I snapped. "I love Eric. End of story."

"That's not what your face says. I see the way you look at Quinn," she teased. "Like he's a cheese sandwich and you haven't eaten in a week. Your face lights up and you relax, like everything's going to be OK now he's around."

"Maybe I just like having someone who'll protect me if more fairies show up."

"Ha! I must be right if you're playing the 'evil fairies tortured me' card. Feeling guilty, huh? You know you have feelings for him and you don't want to talk about it."

"It's just residual stuff, I was really into him once. Even if I still look at him like he's a cheese sandwich, I look at Eric like he's a box of chocolates, don't I?" I stuck my tongue out at Amelia.

"That's true," she conceded. "A box of chocolates is about right."

I grinned triumphantly.

"On Easter morning. After three dozen Easter eggs," she added. "Like he's really tasty, but you know he's gonna make you feel sick 'cos you've already had enough. He's bad for you and you know it, Sook."

I wanted to say something in protest, but nothing would come out. Lying to Amelia was tough; she knew me well enough to spot all my tells immediately. She was not a woman I'd ever play poker against.

"I know," I admitted weakly. "I still love him, though."

"He doesn't love you though. He dumped you sweetie, you have to face up to that some time."

Alcohol made Amelia's already-emphatic opinions even stronger, and she was convinced the message from Eric (via Pam and Bill) on the night he closed his end of the bond meant he was splitting up with me, but I knew she was wrong.

"He just needs some space," I huffed. "He told me he wouldn't be able to see me for a few months before he left. He'll be back."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, 'fuck off and leave me alone' means he'll definitely be back, doesn't it?"

"Why do we have to talk about me again? What about you? If I have to listen to you make one more lame excuse to go watch James hammering or sawing or digging or chopping something, I'm pretty sure I'll vomit."

She just shrugged. "I like the way his muscles pop out all over the place when he works."

I rolled my eyes at her. "There's not even any need for food analogies with you, Amelia. You look at him like you want to throw him on the floor and, well..." I turned red trying to think of a suitable word that wasn't too rude.

"Fuck him?" Amelia filled in for me. "So what? I do. Not all of us inherited the swooning Southern belle gene like you did. Some of us are perfectly capable of admitting our feelings and going after what we want."

"But isn't it too soon?" I asked softly, trying not to sound like I was accusing her of anything.

"It is," she admitted. "Tray's only been gone a month and I like James too much to fuck him without it meaning something. That's why I haven't, James knows that."

"Oh." It wasn't the answer I expected. "You talked to him about it?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want him to think I'm the kind of girl who's happy just kissing, or that I have to be coaxed into sex 'cos I'm not that into it."

I broke out in laughter at the image of Amelia as the shy, retiring type. "I'm sure there's no danger of that," I giggled.

"Good," she said seriously.

I laughed even harder then; she seemed so appalled that anyone might think of her that way. When I stopped laughing a few minutes later, there was something else I had to ask.

"Do you love James?" I asked her.

"Heck no, it's far too soon for all the dull serious stuff," she answered dismissively. "I like him a lot, that's all I'm saying. You know he can hear every word we say, he's out there working somewhere and vampire hearing's pretty impressive."

I tried not to judge her for liking someone else already, but all I could think was, _what about Tray?_

"I saw that," she huffed. "You disapprove."

"I'm trying not to, honest. I just keep thinking about Tray."

"I don't love him any less because James is around."

I couldn't keep the look of utter disbelief from my face.

Amelia rolled her eyes at me. "It's possible to love two people at once, you know. All that nuclear family stuff is bull crap, making a lifetime commitment to churning out brats in the suburbs isn't really the natural order of things. How many times do you catch people checking out someone else while their spouse is right next to them? Pretending one person will be enough for you for your whole life doesn't make it true. Tray knew that, it's one of the things I loved about him." She looked sad and misty eyed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply -"

"It's OK," she insisted. "Don't worry about it."

We sat in silence for a while, remembering Tray.

"I'm real sorry he's gone," I broke the silence.

"He wouldn't want me to sit around pining for him, he'd want me to move on. I'm only waiting 'cos I'm not completely sure what I want. I know I want to have a fling to take my mind off losing Tray, but I don't think I could do a simple rebound thing with James. You know how you have that idea in your mind of the person you really want, your Mr or Miss Perfect? James ticks every one of those boxes for me. It's so bizarre, I haven't been serious about anyone for years, and then suddenly there's two I could be serious about in really quick succession. And both men. I'd feel like I was turning heterosexual if Pam wasn't around." She said 'turning heterosexual' in the tone of same tone of voice she'd use to say she was 'catching rabies' or 'getting bad BO'; full of disdain and revulsion.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "I didn't know you were still, uh..."

"Fucking?" Amelia smiled. "Occasionally."

"But she's like James' _mother!_ He even calls her Mom!"

"He only says that to wind her up, the Maker-Childe thing isn't like humans' relationships with their children. And she didn't turn him out of some twisted obsession or to create a sexual plaything; he was a valuable employee and he was dying, so she turned him. They both say it barely changed things between them, except he couldn't run errands for her during the day any more."

"It's still weird. You're with James and his _Mom_ and I'm with his Granddad." I shook my head. "It seems so wrong."

"You were with his Granddad," she corrected gently. "He split up with you, he's not coming back."

"Do you think he'd have James here for weeks building vampire hidey holes if he wasn't coming back?" I snapped.

Amelia always interpreted Eric's behavior as though he were human. If a human male did what he did, it would definitely mean he wasn't that into me; she was right about that much. But Eric wasn't human, so her conclusions were usually wrong.

"Hell yeah," she insisted. "Rich guys do it all the time, throwing money at some woman they're not especially interested in so she's still be waiting for him next time he comes by to fool around. My father had three mistresses at the same time once, each of them in luxury apartments he paid for, getting diamonds from him once a month or so. He was basically done with two of them, but a few thousand a month to keep them waiting for him in case he changed his mind was small change to him."

"Ew."

"I know. My Mom was crazy to put up with it. Sometimes she was the one getting stacks of diamonds to keep her hanging around, while he was off with someone else. He always told her he was away on business though, and she just believed the lies because it was easier than divorcing him."

"I'm not your Mom."

"Oh really? It's funny how much your thing with Eric looks exactly like my parents' marriage. He's insanely jealous if you even hug another man, yet he fucks anything that moves and you let him. He spends stacks of money on you to show his affection, but he's never around when you need him. And when he wants you, you always take him back for another fling."

"It's not like that! He's not your father, Amelia, he's a thousand year old vampire. There is a difference!"

"Well, fine, little miss vampire expert. What is that difference, again?"

"We're blood bonded, for one. The blood bond is a big deal, it lets me know exactly where he is and how he's feeling."

"Uh-huh," she interrupted. "So, all wise one, where is he right now? How's he feeling?"

"I don't know," I admitted meekly. "He closed the bond."

"So he knows exactly where you are and what you're doing, but you don't get the same privilege," she shook her head. "My father had security cameras at each of his girlfriends' places, had their phones bugged, had private detectives watching them - just to be sure they weren't fucking someone else on his dime. This blood bond just sounds like the vampire version of that."

"I'm not his mistress! He doesn't send me expensive gifts, just the odd thing I really need. And I _earn_ that, I use my telepathy to help him. Plus vampires don't let _anyone_ know where they sleep during the day. They're like helpless kittens then, you could kill them and they wouldn't even know you were there. It's their most closely-guarded secret, where a vampire sleeps."

"Uh-huh. So he only sends you the kind of expensive gifts you'll actually accept, he makes you feel like he needs you, and he does things to tell you he trusts you with his life, even though he doesn't trust you to have male friends. I'm still not seeing the difference. My father's mistresses weren't useless bimbos, you know. One was the CFO of one of his companies."

"I don't even know what that means."

"It's like the head accountant, in charge of all the money. Pretty big trust thing, that. But he knew he could trust her because he had her under surveillance all the time, in the office as well as at home. She didn't know, so he got to see what she did when she thought nobody was watching. That was his favorite part, he kept her in their love nest for years after he stopped seeing her, 'cos she did such interesting things to get herself off when he was away. She came home from her responsible corporate job each day and whipped herself, or put on a porno and acted it out, or fucked herself with a gigantic black dildo, or -"

"Amelia!" I cut her off. "I don't want to know."

She laughed and projected the images at me mentally. Her father had a room off his study where he could watch the security cameras at his mistresses' places. She discovered the access codes when she was fourteen and spent most of her teens sneaking in to watch his mistress enjoying herself each night. I blushed bright red just seeing it all in her mind.

"Stop it!" I yelled. "I'm still not interested."

"You don't have to be so grumpy about it," she pouted. "It's an important skill for a woman in your situation, satisfying yourself when he's not around. This isn't like a normal relationship where you're only apart for a few nights at a time and getting a bit frustrated just makes things even better when he gets back. You've got months ahead of you, and you get so crabby when you're really horny and there's no-one around to fu-"

"So do you! I don't tell you to go fool around with James just because you're not as relaxed as usual, do I?"

"First of all, I know how to take care of myself when I'm alone for a while, unlike some people," she gave me a pointed look. "And second of all, I don't care if you do. He's dead sexy that one, pun intended. You could definitely give me worse advice. Of course, I prefer a proper recommendation, you know, one that comes from personal experience."

I shuddered at the thought. "What, you'd talk to someone's ex to find out if they're any good in bed?"

"Sure, it's much less awkward than dumping them 'cos they're a dud lay."

I was about to reply, but our conversation abruptly ended when I heard the gravel in my driveway crunching. I looked out the window and sure enough, it was Quinn's truck. He didn't bother moving at human speed in front of Amelia and I any more, so he walked in the front door at the same moment as his car door finished swinging shut behind him.

"Thank you so much," was the first thing he said, sweeping me up in a bear hug. "My Mom's on her way back to Whispering Palms and as far as we can tell, she didn't kill anyone this time. Didn't even hurt anyone. So no vampire clean-up, no debts to pay back... I can't believe I got out of this so easy. It wouldn't have worked out like that without you, babe. You were great."

I felt his relief and hugged him back, glad things were OK. He had sorted out enough of his Mom's messes for one lifetime.

"Hmph," Amelia said behind him, in mock annoyance. "What about the witch who helped you, ungrateful tiger?"

Quinn let me go and picked Amelia up instead, swinging her around so quickly it looked like one of those carnival rides that are designed to make people throw up.

"OK, OK, you're grateful," she protested. "Put me down already, you big animal."

I just laughed at them both.

"Thank the little guy for me, too?" Quinn asked as he set Amelia back down on her feet.

_Hey Hunter, Quinn says thank you for helping us last night._

I had already visited him that evening to check on his injuries, and I distracted him for a while by telling him how it all turned out.

_I know,_ came his reply a few moments later. _Tell him to keep his Mom away from you._

He really disliked Quinn's Mom and wouldn't listen when I tried to explain she was sick and couldn't help her behavior. He'd seen something in her future that terrified him, but he was careful not to think of it around me so I didn't ask.

_I will. Let me know if you can't sleep and I'll pop over to give you some more Tylenol, OK?_

_Yes, Aunt Sookie. Goodnight._

_Goodnight, Hunter._

"Hunter says thanks for protecting me from your Mom," I told Quinn. "He thinks you should keep her away from me, though."

"He's right," Quinn agreed sadly. "I told her dozens of times that you're not hurting me, but I just can't get through to her. Even when you left me alone with her for the day, she was still convinced you were imprisoning me somehow. I tried to explain to her that I'm here to teach you to defend yourself, that I want to be here and I'm free to leave if I want, but she wouldn't listen. Whoever got to her did a good job, she wouldn't tell me anything about them."

"I should've stayed around to read her."

"No, it's good you didn't. I was only able to stop her attacking you right there in the airport because there would've been too much collateral damage. I can't convince her not to kill my friends, but she was worried about killing strangers," he shook his head. "Even telling her there were three Weres and a witch guarding you didn't help; she knows I'd win that fight. She makes absolutely no sense, one minute she says I could beat all of you in a fight, but the next she's convinced that you're forcing me to stay here."

He looked weary and frustrated; his mind was still reeling from a day spent trying to talk some sense into his Mom. I saw in his thoughts that he explained to her that he loved me and it would hurt him a lot if she killed me, but she still wanted me dead.

I gave him another hug. "I'm real sorry about your Mom. Have you had dinner? Amelia cooked this great asparagus risotto tonight and there's some left for you if you want it?"

"Thanks," he smiled and wandered into the kitchen, leaving Amelia and I alone in the living room.

"I'm gonna leave you to it," Amelia told me. "I've got a lot of preparation to do before your training session tomorrow. It's a shame that one's so in love with you, he'd be perfect fling material otherwise. You could really use some fun and there's nothing like another man on the scene to get someone like Eric back. Rich guys can't stand to lose, especially not to someone they think is inferior to them."

I rolled my eyes at her and followed Quinn into the kitchen.

"Do I even want to know what she's talking about?" his eyes twinkled; he knew the answer would make me blush.

"She's decided Eric's just like her father and I'm like one of her father's many mistresses."

He just nodded. "Because he's never around, he's spending so much money on your house and he keeps tabs on you through the blood bond so you can't see anyone else, even though I assume he's still feeding while you're not around?"

"Fine, agree with her then," I huffed.

"I didn't say I agreed with her, I just know why she thinks that."

"So what did your Mom say?" I changed the subject. "About who sent her and why, I mean?"

"Absolutely nothing. Whoever got to her has done a really good job, she won't tell me a single thing about them. We have to find out who did this though, they spent a lot of money and went to a lot of trouble to get her here. They brainwashed her so thoroughly that even I couldn't get through to her, and all so she'd come here and kill you. They've taken advantage of her deficiencies really well, which means they're smart and very determined. We need to figure this out before they try again."

I sighed loudly. "I guess we should tell Eric what's going on, then? In case there are vampires involved?"

"That's a good idea," he agreed without hesitation.

I was surprised. "You're OK with him getting involved?"

"Why wouldn't I be? He knows vampire politics better than I do. He has spies all over the place, so if there are vamps involved, he'll be able to find out. I can handle working with the big leech if he's helping to keep you safe, he's tolerable then."

I trudged over to the phone and dialed Fangtasia without another word.

"Fangtasia, the bar with bite," an unfamiliar voice answered, female of course.

At the last second, I lost my nerve about asking for Eric. What if Amelia was right?

"Hi, can I please speak to Pam?" I asked.

"Who is this?"

"Sookie Stackhouse."

"Oh." The girl's voice was suddenly full of glee. "Eric said to tell you he's not here. He won't be here if you come to see him either. And don't bother trying to pop in unannounced, he had the place warded so you can't get in. He really doesn't want to see you -"

"Are you deaf?" I snapped. "I asked for Pam. Not Eric, Pam. P-A-M. Pretty blond who'll rip out your throat if you piss her off."

"Sookie, I never knew you felt that way," Pam's voice purred back.

I was stunned into silence for a moment. "Sorry, Pam, I still drive stick," I recovered.

She laughed. "Well, if you ever want to experiment, I'm sure Eric won't mind." She was using her best sexy-vampire voice.

"Yes, I got the message," I snapped. "From a flunky, as usual. So much for getting a bit more respect from him."

"Alana just started here and doesn't know her place yet. She wants Eric for herself, you can't take what she said too seriously."

"Right. So I should just teleport over there to have this conversation face-to-face?"

Pam sighed. "She was telling the truth about the wards. Eric can't have you coming here right now, he needs some time to sort things out."

"Fine, I'll just wait around 'til he needs a telepath or feels like fairy blood for dinner. Nothing new there," I groused.

"Sookie, why did you call? If you need help, Eric will be right over."

"I don't need him, we sorted it out fine by ourselves."

"We?"

"Amelia, Quinn and I, with some help from some Weres. Us breathers aren't completely helpless, you know."

"So there was trouble. Eric will want to hear about this."

"There's nothing to tell him, his area still has its valuable telepath and I won't bother him again. Goodbye Pam."

I hung up before she could respond. The phone rang almost immediately, but I took it off the hook so nobody could call; I didn't want to hear any more.

I started sobbing and couldn't stop. Eric didn't want me anywhere near him, and that tore me up inside. I cried for most of the night and as usual, Quinn was right there comforting me.


	17. Dancing

As soon as Amelia cleared away her plate and left the kitchen, Quinn leaned across the table to whisper to me conspiratorially.

It was a few days after Quinn's Mom escaped, and Amelia, Quinn and I had been eating turkey sandwiches for lunch after my morning training. That morning, Amelia taught me to use one of Niall's gifts: a smooth, milky white stone that made me invisible, which she called a _nemaicside_ charmstone. The lesson had gone much better than expected, and I mastered everything she wanted to teach me in under an hour, even though she thought it would take me three lessons to master the charmstone. She went upstairs to find something else to teach me for my next two lessons then, leaving Quinn and I alone for the rest of the morning.

We sparred for a while, because Quinn had never fought an invisible opponent before and had to learn how, so that he could teach me to make the most of the advantage it gave me. It was the first time I'd taught him anything (other than a few dance steps at Jason's wedding) and it made me happy to even the score a little, so I was in a really good mood by lunchtime.

"I think Amelia and James are gonna want some time alone tonight," Quinn whispered to me across the table. "He's spending his night off here with her. I overheard them talking about it last night."

I grinned. "Good for her," I quietly agreed. "We'd better go out and give them some privacy then. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I hadn't really come up with anything specific yet..." he lied.

I gave him a look that said 'I can read your mind, remember?'

"OK, OK," he raised his hands in surrender. "No point playing it cool around a telepath, is there? I've wanted to take you out dancing for ages, and there's a place in Shreveport that sounds like fun. I was going to ask Amelia and James to come with us, but the stuff I overheard last night... well, we should give them some time alone tonight."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "This isn't a date, is it?"

"No, you're still Eric's, I got that message the first hundred times you told me. Don't worry, my only ulterior motive is getting you to dance with me, which isn't exactly ulterior when I'm asking you out dancing. You can dance with a friend, can't you?"

"Yes," I smiled, "as long as it's just dancing, that's OK." I love to dance and he knew it.

"Good," he beamed. "Do you know how to salsa? There's a Latin dance night on tonight in Shreveport, I've heard it's pretty good."

I shook my head.

"It's not hard," he reassured me. "The basic steps are really simple, you'll pick it up quickly. "

"OK, I'll give it a try."

"Fantastic. You don't mind coming out to dinner with me beforehand, do you? I was gonna skip Merlotte's tonight, I've been spending so much time in tiger form training you that I need to eat some proper meat. There's a French restaurant in Shreveport that does authentic steak tartare if you order it a few days in advance, and they offered to make me a venison carpaccio, too."

"I guess so..." I agreed apprehensively, catching in his thoughts that most of his dinner would be raw. Ew.

"Don't worry, most of their customers aren't shifters, so they do regular food too. Their chocolate mousse is incredible."

"OK, I'm there," I decided; chocolate anything sounded good to me.

"Good. Time for training?"

We cleared the table, then went outside to work through the self-defense lesson he had planned for that day.

He spent the afternoon teaching me to redirect the force an attacker puts into their blows, so instead of hitting me, their own momentum shifts them off-balance so I can take them down. It was a welcome change; I'd spent almost a week learning how to dodge every kind of attack anyone might use on me, and I was really ready for something new. I surprised him with how quickly I learned, and we covered all the scenarios where I could completely direct a blow away from me in just a few hours.

Luckily, he was ready to roll right into the next lesson: how to deal with blows when I couldn't redirect them completely away from me and had to take some of the force myself. He told me at the start that I had to learn to take a few blows in a fight, and he was finally teaching me how to get hit without it hurting me much. Given my history, that seemed like a really useful skill to have.

We finished a little earlier than usual to give us both time to get dressed and ready for a night out. I had planned to dress very casually for our not-date, but then decided that I got so few chances to go out anywhere nice that I would make the most of the opportunity to dress up. I chose a pretty blue dress with a low (but not too low) neckline and a skirt that flared out whenever I turned, then added shoes with a low heel on them so I'd be a little closer to his height when we danced. With a pretty headband to keep my hair out of my eyes and a tiny bit of makeup, I figured I was dressed up enough for all but the fanciest of restaurants.

When I emerged from my bedroom, Quinn was wearing neat, dark jeans, black dress shoes and a t-shirt. He quickly went back into the spare room and changed into a navy blue shirt that coordinated nicely with my dress.

"Not a date," I reminded him, rolling my eyes.

"Just making sure we look good on the dance floor," he replied innocently, batting his eyelids at me.

I laughed at him, appreciating how the short sleeves showed off his muscular arms for a few moments, until I remembered that I wasn't supposed to be checking him out. _Still Eric's girl_, I reminded myself.

We excused ourselves shortly after sunset to leave Amelia and James in peace, whatever they were up to. They both looked happy to see us go, so I knew Quinn was right about them needing some time alone.

For most of the drive to Shreveport, Quinn made a point of telling me how much he liked French food, describing his favorite dishes in great detail. I caught in his thoughts that he figured I'd be more comfortable at dinner if I knew what some of the things on the menu were and how to pronounce the names, and I appreciated him thinking of that. I didn't know a lot about French food, so it was a big help. By the time we arrived, I had a few ideas of things I'd like to try, so I wasn't intimidated when the waiter handed me a menu with all the names of the dishes in French - and English translations that didn't exactly help me much.

I chose a _salade niçoise_ followed by _coq au vin_, both dishes he mentioned in the car and said I'd like. The salad had lettuce, tomato, green beans, red peppers, olives, and anchovies that were more like small fish than the salty lumps I was used to seeing on pizzas. It came topped with a dressing so laced with garlic that no vampire would want to be in the same room as me for a week. It was delicious. The _coq au vin_ was also great: a chicken casserole with mushrooms and tiny onions in it. He told me in the car that it's usually a fall or winter dish, but it's one of the French dishes Americans like best, so some restaurants leave it on the menu year-round.

Quinn's own dinner consisted of meat, meat and more meat. The venison carpaccio was literally just thin slices of raw meat, but he persuaded me to try some and it was much tastier than I expected, even if it was made of Bambi's mother. I liked it enough to eat a second slice, but two pieces was enough for me. He ate the rest of the huge platter of carpaccio by himself, then finished the last of my anchovies as well. When his steak tartare arrived, he ate it quickly and didn't offer me any, which was good: it looked like a huge bowl of ground beef topped with a raw egg, but I caught in his thoughts that it was actually horse. Ew.

Still, it wasn't really any worse than watching vampires drink True Blood (or worse, feed at a buffet of willing donors), and I was pleased that in the fortnight he'd been staying at my place, the tiger part of him had only needed to eat large game this once. The rest of the time, Merlotte's burgers and steaks at my place kept him happy, and he ate those rare, not raw. He wasn't in a state of crazed bloodlust as he ate, either, which was a welcome change from watching vampires feed.

He didn't order dessert, but I wasn't going to pass up the chocolate mousse for anything. It was incredible; light and fluffy but rich and chocolaty at the same time. I probably enjoyed it a little too obviously, because he just stared at me while I ate, transfixed by the look of bliss on my face and the little noises of pleasure I made as I spooned it into my mouth. I pulled up all my shields so I could eat in peace, not wanting to hear what else he was thinking. When I finished eating, he looked disappointed.

"Man, I could watch you eat that stuff all day," he chuckled, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "If I asked them nicely and paid them enough, I'm sure they'd home deliver whole vats of it for you." He had a dreamy look on his face.

"Oh no," I insisted. "No way. Desserts go straight to my hips."

He just shrugged. "What's the problem? You've lost a bit too much weight with all this training, if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you," I pointed out in a warning tone.

I was actually happy that all the exercise I'd been doing had taken a few pounds off. So what if all the men in my life drooled over my curves? I was the one who had to find jeans to fit those curves, not them.

"Sorry, I'll shut up about it," he conceded. "Let's go dance. The bill's taken care of, it's a work expense because I'm looking for new places to do catering for the events we've got coming up around here. For shifter functions, finding someone that does a good job with raw meat is a big deal. Well, the more modern shifters, anyway. The old timers still want all the catering on-the-hoof."

I scrunched up my face in disgust and he laughed, helping me out of my chair to leave.

When we got to the club, I was intimidated. The place was packed even though it was still fairly early, and the dancers were really good. They twirled and shimmied gracefully, making every movement look both easy and sexy. At first glance, it seemed like everyone in the place was a great dancer and wore an outfit made for salsa dancing, but as my eyes wandered, I slowly realized that wasn't the case. After a few minutes, I could tell that some of the couples were clearly better dancers than others and I certainly wasn't the only beginner there, but they all seemed to be having equally as much fun.

That - and the gin and tonic Quinn insisted on buying me - helped me relax. We found a quiet corner and he taught me the basic steps. He showed me how to do them in an open frame first, holding my hands gently while we stood a couple feet apart. Once I was comfortable with the steps, he pulled me into a closed hold, moving my left hand on his upper arm when I went to place it on his back like I would for a waltz. We only did the basic step a couple more times before he started leading me through a bunch of other steps, casually pointing out that it was a dance where you're meant to wiggle your hips a lot. I could do that.

He led really well, giving me strong, unambiguous signals with his own movements and little presses of his hands against my hands, arms and back. He made it easy for me to figure out what to do, even when I didn't know the steps yet, and we moved together gracefully. I knew we looked good, and as he gradually maneuvered us from the corner of the room to the middle, I didn't object. We were both having a lot of fun, and I caught more than a few admiring thoughts in the heads of people near us.

"Damn, you're a great dancer," he grinned as he turned me around gracefully, watching as I spun as far away as I could go while he held my hand, then pulled me back towards him with a small flick of his wrist. "I guess you get a lot of practice, dating someone who owns a nightclub?"

I gave him a sad look and shook my head. "Nope."

"He's never taken you out dancing?" he asked, disbelieving. _What a waste_, he silently added, admiring my movements as he moved me back and forwards again.

"He's never taken me out on a _date_," I corrected.

"Sorry, I didn't know," he apologized, silently wondering, _In what sense are you dating him if he's never taken you on a date?_

I glared up at him, but before I could chastise him for thinking that, he moved me around in a half-turn while he kept hold of both my hands, so I wound up standing right beside him with his arms wrapped around me. He guided us around in a circle, me stepping backwards and him forwards, before turning me around so we were facing one another again. As usual, all the other dancers on the floor moved out of his way; he was by far the largest person in the room and nobody wanted to risk colliding with him.

"You're a really good dancer, too," I complimented him when we were facing one another again.

"One of the perks of my job," he grinned. "There's dancing at so many events I run, and it's usually at the end when my work's pretty much done until the clean-up starts. It's a nice way to relax."

A faster song came on and we both stopped talking so we could keep up with the music. I noticed that he was always thinking at least three moves ahead, making sure each sequence of steps would look good before he led me through it. I started picking up little details about each move from his thoughts, including things like hand movements that he couldn't readily communicate just by leading me. He noticed what I was doing and started picturing each move in his head just before he led me through the steps, so I knew exactly what I was doing. It worked remarkably well, making me look like I actually knew how to salsa.

When the music slowed right down after three very fast numbers, Quinn pulled me in close to him. He held me tightly as we danced right next to one another, and I had to admit it felt great. Between his body heat and the wonderful masculine smell of him, I found myself resting my head against his shoulder before I could think better of it. _At last_, I heard him think, and a memory of the first time he saw me flashed through his mind briefly as he swayed with me, showing me across the room at Colonel Flood's funeral. With the image came a feeling of overwhelming attraction, as though he as being pulled towards me magnetically. He had wanted to dance with me like this ever since.

"Oh, you noticed me then?" I asked immediately, pulling back a little to look up at him. Then I kicked myself for saying it out loud.

Interestingly, he wasn't embarrassed that I overheard his thoughts; he had gotten used to me being in his head all the time. Learning to read shifters' minds improved my odds if I had to fight one, so he volunteered to let me practice on him. Whatever issues he had with his thoughts not being private any more, he had dealt with them already and wasn't bothered by me listening to even the most private stuff in his mind now.

He smiled at me wistfully. "How could I not? That thing you said about liking to help people, but hating it when they trick you or blackmail you into it... that was priceless. Putting the potential packmaster's son, and second, in his place in front of his entire pack really takes guts."

"Argumentative, that's me," I grumbled.

He shook his head. "I saw the look on Alcide's face, he knew he had it coming. Besides, I prefer the word feisty. Or passionate. Strong women are so hot."

I saw in his thoughts that he actively resisted his physical attraction to me until he saw me stand up for myself, then decided his tiger instincts were right about me and went with them. After Colonel Flood's funeral, he asked a few people who I was, trying to find out my name. If anyone had known me - and I was pretty sure a few did - they weren't willing to tell him who I was. Of the four men he asked, three described me as "the babe" and he'd called me that in his thoughts ever since. (I was glad he chose to call me that and not "oh, _her_", which is what both the women he asked called me.) He had thought of me a lot after that, wondering exactly what I was, why Alcide needed my help, why I wasn't frightened of Weres even though I seemed to be mostly human, and why all his tiger instincts screamed at him to find me, and follow me around as much as I would allow.

"Is that why you call me babe so much?" I asked curiously. "I thought maybe it was just what you called women you like?"

"No, you're the only one I've ever called that. When nobody would tell me your name I could only think of you as 'the babe' and it kind of stuck. Plus you seemed like such a babe in the woods amongst all those Weres. I never expected to find someone as great as you among such vicious company."

"That's actually really sweet," I grinned, leaning against him again.

He leaned down so he could whisper into my hair, his voice low and husky. "Even before I knew your name, I couldn't stop thinking about you. When I finally got to talk to you for the first time... well, I've never had trouble stringing words together like that before. Never. I've never gotten turned on by licking blood off someone's leg before, either. I should've realized how special you are much sooner than I did. You know I wasn't even sure I loved you until we split up and I just couldn't get over you? How stupid am I?"

I snuggled in closer against him, enjoying feeling appreciated for once. I wasn't sure what I felt for him, whether my feelings were current or left over from when we were dating, but I sure liked that _someone_ loved me. I let him hold me close and move me slowly around the dance floor until the song ended. When a fast number came on next, I was almost as disappointed as he was.

Three or four songs later, he was twirling me around again when a sudden tingling in the back of my mind stopped me short, right in the middle of a turn.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Vampire GPS," I muttered under my breath.

"Huh?"

"Eric's somewhere nearby," I grumbled. "I can't tell what he's feeling, but he's really close by."

I scanned the crowd distractedly, in case he was somewhere in the room. Quinn took his hands off me respectfully, but after another couple almost collided with me, he gently took my arm and guided me to a recently-vacated table at the side of the room.

I couldn't get a fix on where Eric was; it felt like he was barely yards away, but I couldn't tell for sure. Then, just as suddenly as the sensation began, it stopped. The bond went completely dead, so I couldn't even tell whether he was near any more. I burst into tears in spite of myself, the emptiness of the dead bond making me ache painfully for him.

"Are you OK?" Quinn asked, leaning across the table to brush away my tears.

As he touched me, I caught a flash of something from his mind. He was very careful not to think of why Eric was avoiding me, or what had happened to him while he was away. It was like there was a closed door in his mind; a door he had locked so I couldn't open it.

"You know something," I accused. "You know something about Eric."

"I've heard some rumors," he confirmed, "but I have no idea whether they're true or not, and I know they'll upset you. I've been trying to find out for sure, but nobody who saw anything first-hand will talk to me. Please, don't pull this from my mind. I wouldn't keep it a secret from you unless I had a really good reason."

"So you're only keeping this from me because you're not sure if it's true?"

He nodded. "It seems pretty unlikely, but with de Castro you never know. Would you tell me something that would really upset me, if it seemed unlikely it was true?"

"I guess not," I conceded. "So you would tell me, if you were sure it was true?"

"Well..." he hesitated. "It's really not my place. I'd try to persuade Eric to talk to you about it, because it's not the kind of thing you should hear second-hand."

"So you wouldn't even tell me if it was true?" I was outraged.

"I would, eventually, but I'd give him a chance to talk to you about it first. I wouldn't feel right being the one to tell you. I would lure him to your place under false pretenses and lock him in a room with you before I told you myself, and you know how much I like the idea of leaving you alone with him. But you really should hear this from him."

I could feel that he was telling the truth, and that robbed me of my righteous indignation. I thought seriously about rifling through his mind to find out exactly what he'd heard, but I knew how wrong it would be to do that.

"I think I want to go home," I mumbled.

He took my arm and guided me from the club, but as we left, I could swear we were being watched.


	18. Dumb blondes

_Author's note: I've had a lot of requests for something from Eric's point of view, to give some insight into what's going on with him while this story takes place. I'm tinkering with a short piece atm, which will hopefully be ready in a couple days._

* * *

"Fine, it really is worse for guys to have to watch chick flicks," Amelia conceded. "Action movies aren't really that bad."

It was two days after I went out dancing with Quinn, and he, Amelia and I were eating lunch at Merlotte's. We sat in a booth nursing burgers and soft drinks, having an animated debate about whether it was more painful to make a guy watch a chick flick, or to force a woman to watch action movies that were more about explosions than storyline.

"No more obnoxious heroines, then," I sighed in mock-defeat. "You know how much I love it when the main character in a movie is awful or stupid or both, but I'll make the sacrifice for you." I'd watched enough romantic comedies lately to be getting rather sick of them.

"Thanks babe," Quinn smiled. "I won't make you suffer through any more of those Hong Kong movies with the silly dialog, either."

He took another huge bite from his burger; the second he had ordered for lunch that day. He seemed to eat about three times as much as any regular human and still stayed very lean. I figured it must take a lot of energy to shape shift.

"You're too kind," I replied sarcastically. "I can't say I'll miss the rom-coms really, we've watched so many in the last couple of weeks that they're all starting to seem the same. Why do the women sabotage their own happiness for ridiculous reasons, just to make a plot point? Why does there always have to be an obstacle? Can't they just figure out they're right for each other and go for it?"

Amelia rolled her eyes at me, and I kept out of her thoughts because I just didn't want to know.

"You sure you're both feeling OK? No more headaches?" I changed the subject before she could say anything pointed.

"I'm fine, really," Quinn insisted. "The nap took care of it completely."

"Me too," Amelia added.

"See, no need to worry about us so much," he reassured me.

I was relieved. Earlier that day, I practiced deep-reading Amelia and Quinn's minds - digging into their memories instead of just skimming their current train of thought - and it took me less than an hour to give them both splitting headaches. I was able to use Hunter's trick to put them both to sleep for a couple of hours, though, and when they woke, they both said they were fine.

I could tell Amelia wasn't really; she still had a mild headache but she didn't want me to know. She thought it was such a useful skill for me to have that it was worth causing her some discomfort while I practiced. I didn't want to hurt either of them, but Amelia told me I'd be doing her a favor to pull magical knowledge directly from her head because it took hours to explain anything to me, deliberately annoying me so I gave in and agreed to practice on her. She was far too good at pushing my buttons.

I did learn some useful magic by poking around Amelia's mind, but what I learned from Quinn was even more interesting. I often skimmed his thoughts to see his next moves when we sparred, but I'd never delved much deeper before. I wasn't even sure I could deep-read shifters, but he insisted I try. He suggested I go through his memories of fights, to help me learn how to defeat multiple attackers and kill shifters, Weres and vampires. He remembered every second of every fight he'd ever been in or watched; thousands in total. I saw patterns quickly; techniques that worked in many different situations. I tucked them all away in my own brain, ready to use when I had to, and I was grateful that he shared that hard-earned knowledge with me.

The fights in the pits were even more brutal than I had feared, but once I remembered to look at them with a purpose, they weren't as horrifying. The fights after he left the pits bothered me more; when he was doing something normal and trouble found him, it was like he became a different person. He'd distanced himself from his life in the pits by being one person when he fought and someone else when he went about his day-to-day life. I was less worried once I noticed that as time went on, he was less divided; he'd put himself back together somehow. I wondered if I was doing something similar, and if I wasn't, whether I should.

I tuned back into our conversation to hear Quinn telling Amelia exactly how painful it is to watch chick flicks with me.

"You're such a wuss," Amelia laughed. "You'll fight vampires and shifters any day, but soppy movies scare you."

"She cries," he motioned his head at me. "Every single time."

Then I started laughing too. "What is it with mighty warriors and weeping women?"

Quinn looked annoyed for a moment, then started laughing too. Sam slid into our booth next to Amelia.

"I think I've got a few minutes between drinks orders now. What's so funny?"

"Have a guess what frightens the mighty Quinn?" Amelia teased.

"I would've said nothing, but by the way you're laughing, I guess he has a phobia of mice or teddy bears or something?"

"Meg Ryan movies," she told him.

"What's scary about that?" Sam puzzled.

"Sookie always cries when she watches them," Quinn explained.

Sam just nodded, giving Quinn an understanding look. "How are you, cher?" he asked me.

"I'm really good. How are you?"

"Missing my best waitress, of course, but all's well here. Arlene split up with that Fellowship guy, so she's working a couple shifts a week again."

"She's out of jail?" I asked, worried. She had been jailed for her part in a plot to crucify me - literally.

"They let her out on parole because she gave the police so much information."

"I guess that's fair," I conceded.

"I think the whole prison thing shook her up, showed her that maybe the Fellowship aren't so great."

"I should hope so," Amelia muttered.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the muscles in Quinn's jaw flexing. He had a habit of clenching his teeth to stop himself making over-protective comments. He knew I hated being treated like the damsel in distress, and hated it even more when men offered to take care of problems I could handle myself. I appreciated his restraint, so I thanked him by rubbing the side of my face against his shoulder; in big cat body language, it's an expression of gratitude and affection.

Sam grinned at us, and even though I was trying to shield, I 'heard' his approval of me dating Quinn.

I pulled away from Quinn abruptly. "We're just friends," I told Sam, a little too firmly.

_The lady doth protest too much,_ Amelia thought loudly. I glared at her.

"Why?" Sam arched an eyebrow. "Because of Eric? Where is he these days?"

I sighed loudly and squared my shoulders, ready to tell him it was none of his business. I didn't get the chance.

"Sookie's training is going really well," Quinn changed the subject.

I was so grateful that I went to rub against his shoulder again, but stopped at the last second so I wouldn't give Sam the wrong idea. Again. Amelia laughing loudly at me, and a moment later, we all joined in. Even I could see the absurdity of it.

"I'm glad to hear it's going well," Sam said when the laughter subsided. "There's been some talk in here, though. The rumors that you weren't really in a car accident didn't exactly die down when, quote, 'that huge wrestler guy' showed up to give you weeks of intensive self-defense training. There's a lot of talk that you're in some sort of trouble and he's your bodyguard."

"Let 'em talk," I shrugged.

"You really don't care," Amelia grinned. She'd been working on me for a long time, convincing me not to care what people thought. I was glad she had.

Sam said something else, but I didn't hear him; I had to use all my strength to shield myself from a wave of grubby thoughts. Two girls had just walked into the bar, out-of-towners nobody had seen before. I knew exactly what they looked like long before I saw them: blond cheerleader types with long, tanned limbs and skimpy outfits. They were nineteen or twenty, and I heard variations of "I love spring break" in the thoughts of five separate males before I managed to block them all out.

Amelia was facing the door so she saw them walk in and tapped her head. I'd been practicing selective shielding, and with a few seconds' concentration, I was able to change my shields so I could hear her but still block everyone else. I nodded slightly.

_Ugh. Fake blonds with fake boobs, fake nails, fake tans and fake designer bags. I guess the human men are all drooling?_

As Amelia 'spoke' to me, Quinn glanced over his shoulder to investigate the sudden hush that had come over the room. To his credit, he turned turned right back, not interested in the two girls at all. I smiled and answered Amelia with a tiny nod.

_How about our table?_

I glared at her; she knew I thought it was unethical to share people's thoughts with her.

_PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE,_ she yelled in my head.

Amelia was an exceptionally strong broadcaster and when she tried, it was nearly impossible to block her out. She'd been practicing, ostensibly to help me learn to fend off telepathic attacks, but it had also helped her get a lot of juicy gossip out of me. I rolled my eyes in capitulation (Word of the Day today) and she grinned.

_So?_

I did a very superficial scan of Quinn and Sam's minds and shook my head. I didn't really want to know, even if Amelia did.

She gave me a big thumbs up. _I love Supes. Who in their right mind wants to fuck that much plastic?_ She projected an image of a human male attempting to have sex with a giant Barbie doll and I couldn't help but crack up laughing.

_Want to share the joke?_ Quinn asked. He touched a fingertip to my bare knee while he 'spoke' so he could bypass my shields.

"You really don't want to know," I told him. "Amelia has the dirtiest mind of anyone I've ever met."

"Really?" she answered, looking proud of herself. "From you, that's high praise," she grinned.

I smiled back; it was so like Amelia to be pleased that a telepath said she had the dirtiest mind around (and it was true, she did).

The two girls walked past our table and I saw what Amelia meant. Both girls had orange tans and their outfits were tiny, even for northern Louisiana. One had stripy blond highlights that I knew were expensive, but still looked cheap; the other girl's hair was bleached almost white and looked fried. The word 'Juicy' was written across the backside of the taller girl's micro-miniskirt.

I knew it was wrong to instantly dislike them based on their appearance alone, but I did. They looked just like the girls who made high school a living hell for me, and I half-expected them to taunt me with bitchy comments about my shorts or something.

The new server offered the two girls a booth at the back, but they insisted on taking a table in the middle of room, just a few feet from us. The men in the room would be pleased, but I wasn't; I could hear every word of their conversation.

"Are you sure we have to keep going to New Orleans, Melody? I could handle another night in Shreveport."

"You just want to see tall, blond and dead again," Melody teased.

I was trying to ignore them until I heard that; then they suddenly had my full attention. Someone called Eric that once.

"So do you," her friend replied.

"Fine, Brandi, you were right, vampire bars are fun. That Viking is, like, the hottest thing on two legs."

OK, so they were talking about Eric; I was fairly certain he was the only Viking vampire in Shreveport.

"Man, is he ever," Brandi drooled.

It sounded like they had a crush on him, and I couldn't help but smile. The cheerleaders wanted Eric, but he was bonded to me. Ha!

"I could definitely handle another night with him."

My stomach dropped.

"You and me both. I'm sure he'd be up for it, he did say you were the best he'd ever had, and he's, like, a thousand years old."

Had they? Did he? I couldn't bear to think it.


	19. Forest for the trees

Amelia, Quinn and Sam were all staring at me, their faces a mix of horror and sympathy. I didn't have to read their thoughts to know they had each made up their minds already: of course Eric had fucked the two girls at the next table, and so many others like them. They were all waiting for me to react but I kept my poker face, pretending I hadn't heard a thing.

Quinn's fingertip touched my knee so he could get past my mental shields._ They're just boasting, babe, to make all the men here think they're God's gift. _

I gave him a sad smile; I could feel that he was lying, but he was trying to make me feel better which was sweet of him.

"What do you feel like?" Melody waved the menu at her friend.

"Eric said the burgers here were really good."

"How would he know? It's not like he eats, Brandi," Melody's tone said she thought she was the brains of the operation.

"He ate both of us," Brandi giggled.

"And then bit us, too," Melody added, sounding very pleased with the joke she just made.

I wished they would shut up. They had said enough already, was it really so necessary to spell it out?

"Seriously, though, he said he knew some chick who works here. Said to say hi from him if we saw her. Susie something."

My blood ran cold. No, Eric would never send one of his many other women to see me... would he?

Quinn's finger touched my knee again, but he removed it again without projecting anything. He was out of pretty lies already.

"Has anyone called Susie worked here lately?" Quinn whispered to Sam, so quiet I wasn't meant to hear it.

Sam just shook his head, avoiding my eyes. The new waitress went to the girls' table then and they ordered burgers. They were talking more quietly now that they weren't showing off their sex lives, but I couldn't stop listening. My relationship with Eric had always been 'don't ask don't tell' - I never asked about his feeding habits when he wasn't with me and he never told me - but if he sent two of them here to see me, I wanted to know. Especially since these two were so indiscreet, they made Jason seem positively chivalrous.

I adjusted my shields again so I could eavesdrop on their thoughts. I had to know whether Eric had arranged this deliberately, whether he was sending me a message by recommending Merlotte's to last night's meal.

They were talking again now that the server was gone, continuing right where they left off. As they spoke, images flashed through their minds showing exactly what they did the night before. At first, there were just a few, but then I delved a little deeper into their memories and saw everything Eric did to them. Like a car crash, I couldn't look away.

He had been with both of them last night, multiple times, in every way imaginable. Each image sickened me, but I couldn't stop looking. I had to know. The images kept coming, mercilessly, relentlessly, and I experienced every moment exactly as the two girls did. Saw-heard-felt-tasted-smelled it all. Every detail was perfect, familiar in ways that drove the reality of it home.

I was feeling something so intense it was primal, but I couldn't work out what it was. All I knew was I had to get out of there, right away. I slid out of the booth and headed for the back door as they kept on talking, telling the whole bar about their night with Eric. I got out of the crowded room as fast as I could, heading for the employee car park out the back.

As soon as the door slammed behind me, I snapped. A feral howl tore from my throat but peals of thunder drowned it out.

The images I saw in Brandi and Melody's minds wouldn't leave me alone. I saw the things Eric did last night over and over. My insides roiled with fury. I would kill those whores. I would kill Eric. I would kill everyone in my path, and I would love it.

My rage kept growing, overwhelming me. I was consumed by thoughts of revenge. I would bathe in their blood. I would eat their eyeballs. I would burn them alive and wear the perfume of their death proudly. My anger was much bigger than I was.

I tried to hold back, to regain control, but my hurt crackled around my body like fireworks going off inside me. The bursts of fury kept coming, getting more frequent and more violent, until I lost all willpower and my rage spilled from my body.

Finally, I lost all semblance of myself, and my anger erupted from my hands in gigantic bolts of lightning.

I threw bolt after bolt of crackling energy at the trees around Merlotte's. They exploded, throwing branches and leaves and sheets of bark all over. None of the debris touched me; the lightning vaporized anything that dared come close.

Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. My legs buckled beneath me and I fell in a heap, the rough gravel scraping my hands and knees. A deathly calm came over me.

When I looked up a few moments later, Quinn was doing his best to stop any more damage being done. In an incredible display of strength and speed, he juggled falling tree trunks, deftly pushing them away from buildings and cars. He darted between them in a blur; a blur that leapt twenty feet in the air to intercept and redirect the debris. He wasn't merely superhuman; he was super-supernatural, but I felt nothing: no awe, not even any interest. I didn't know when he came out here, and I didn't care. When a tree cracked loudly and started falling towards me, I waved it away thoughtlessly, not caring where it went or what it hit. I came out of my trance with a start when it hit him, hard.

"Ohmigod, Quinn!" I yelled, jumping up to go to him.

_Deal with the trees, don't let them hit anything,_ his voice said calmly in my mind, but a wave of pain came with it.

I balled up all the energy I had left and sent a wave of it towards the trees, making all the debris fly back into the woods, away from Merlotte's and the parked cars behind it.

"Sookie!" Sam yelled, coming up behind me fast. "What happened?"

"Lightning," I mumbled, rushing to Quinn.

The few seconds it took me to find him in the debris were the longest of my life. I was terrified that I had hurt him, injured him, maybe even killed him in my carelessness. Time dragged as I tortured myself with horrible guesses of what I might have done.

When I got to him, he picked himself up from the ground unaided and said he was fine. I leaped at him, wrapping my arms and legs around his big frame to hug him. He winced when he caught me, but I was still overjoyed beyond words.

I planted little kisses all over him. "You're OK, you're OK," I chanted.

He chuckled. "Babe, I'm fine, really. Just a few bruises and a couple broken fingers, I'll be better in no time."

I pulled back to look at him. There were scratches and scrapes all over him, but he was beaming.

"Hey, you didn't have to stop," he teased. "I'll heal much faster if you keep kissing me better."

I laughed then, pleased that he was well enough to have a sense of humor. A crowd was starting to gather as concerned patrons filed out of Merlotte's to see what all the noise was.

_You'd better scan everyone, babe, make sure nobody saw anything. Rest your head on my shoulder, they'll leave you alone._

"What do we do if they saw me?" I whispered, so quietly only a Supe would hear it, as I laid my head against him.

_Ask James to glamor them when he wakes up, I guess._

"Good idea."

I dropped my mental shields and scanned everyone, but nobody suspected I had anything to do with the sudden, unseasonal lightning strike. As far as anyone there knew, it was impossible to influence the weather in any way, so they were convinced this was an act of God. Amelia knew what really happened, of course - I had once thrown a bolt of lightning by accident while she was trying to teach me something else - but for everyone else it was just freak weather.

Only Sam got out fast enough to see Quinn's and my cleanup efforts and I knew he wouldn't say anything about the supernatural powers we both used to do it. I was grateful for that. He was surprised I had telekinetic ability as well now, and itching with curiosity about it, so I knew I'd have to talk to him about it soon.

I lifted my head from Quinn's shoulder.

_Anyone see anything?_ he asked.

I answered with a tiny head shake and got him to set me on my feet.

"Cher, are you OK?" Sam asked, coming over as Quinn and I disentangled ourselves.

"She's just shaken up," Quinn answered for me. "She was really lucky, nothing hit her."

"I thought that tree landed on you," I added meekly, playing the damsel for all I was worth.

"Takes more than a tree to stop me, babe," Quinn smiled, rubbing my back.

The staff car park was full of people now, all gawking at the 'lightning damage'. Four big trees had been destroyed in my outburst. All that was left were stumps with jagged tops, ranging in height from three to seven feet, with a collection of severed boughs scattered around them like limbs. I could hardly bear to glance at the inhuman destruction my brief outburst had caused. For the first time, I wasn't entirely sure these new fairy powers were a good thing... should any person be able to do this much damage?

The whole crowd were itching to ask me about it, to get the gossip while it was fresh, but I didn't want to talk to them. I didn't want to look at the ruined trees, either; I just wanted to go home and work out what this all meant.

Amelia pushed her way through the crowd to join Sam, Quinn and I. "Are you alright? You were out here when it happened?"

"We're fine," Quinn grinned at her. "Had a really lucky escape."

"You're sure?" Amelia pressed.

"Positive. We're both fine, but you're gonna be late for work, won't you?" Quinn reminded her.

Amelia glanced at her wrist and cussed, then excused herself and took off. "Seeya tonight," she called over her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry about your trees," I apologized.

"It's not your fault," Sam grinned. "You look real shaken up, Sook. You should head home. Lunch is on me."

He meant it as thanks for saving his property and I felt like a fraud, accepting his gratitude for solving a problem I caused in the first place. I said goodbye and skulked away, my mind only beginning to process what happened in the last ten minutes.


	20. Drunk

I didn't want to cry over Eric any more, but traitorous tears ran down my face anyway, soaking into my shirt. Quinn was driving me home from Merlotte's and I couldn't speak; could only sob. He knew better than to ask me about it.

I couldn't explain why I was so upset. Two girls sitting near us at lunch were Eric's meal and entertainment last night - I saw it all in their thoughts - but it wasn't the first time something like this had happened; not by any stretch. I knew of Eric's feeding habits long before those girls walked into Merlotte's today; long before Eric fucked them in his office last night, on the same desk where he had once made love to me. This wasn't a new pain, it was old, a constant chafe that had hardened my heart slowly over so long that I barely noticed it happen. The girls at lunch had become a sort of catalyst though, and now I cried for all of it.

Thinking of how many Brandi and Melody's there must be in the world - two a night for the last thousand years? more? - I sobbed even harder. My mind was filling in the blanks, creating the images of what happened each and every time.

I started putting it all together. Eric had Pam pass on a message the night he closed our bond: "fuck off and leave me alone." He had a waitress tell me I was unwelcome at Fangtasia, and had the place warded so I couldn't go there any more. And now, he sent last night's dinner to say hi to me at work, to show me he was moving on. Amelia was right: he was ending things with me. Or at least, making it very clear I was just someone he fed on occasionally, nothing more.

Quinn interrupted my thoughts by opening the passenger door of his truck and reaching over me to undo my seat belt.

"We're back," I stated the obvious, unable to think of anything smarter to say.

"We've been back for fifteen minutes," he told me gently.

"Oh." I'd been too caught up in my thoughts to notice.

He helped me down from my seat and I blindly wandered towards the house, still crying. He closed the car door behind me and caught me up, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. When he guided me through the house to the kitchen, I didn't resist.

He sat me down at the table and retrieved a bottle of gin.

"I'd take you out the back to spar for a while so you could beat the crap out of me until you felt better, but I should let the broken fingers heal a while first and you seem like maybe you need to talk about this. Or rant about it, I guess. I can mix you up a gin and tonic if you'd like?"

I nodded and kept sobbing. When he set the drink down in front of me a minute later, I realized I should say something.

"Thanks," I mumbled. "I could really use a drink. Hurting you wouldn't make me feel better at all."

"I was joking. Trying to get a smile out of you."

"Good luck with that," I muttered under my breath.

I took a big swig from my drink and coughed violently; it was very, very strong. Perfect. I drained it in a single swig.

"Another?" he asked.

I nodded and he had my glass refilled and in front of me again a few moments later. He left the bottles of gin and tonic water on the table, along with a tray of ice cubes and some slices of lemon. He sat down next to me. I heard him think I was going to drink my way to unconsciousness very quickly if I kept going, but then he decided that might be a good thing.

"I guess you can tell I'm trying to get you drunk," he joked.

"Good," I took another long swig, half-draining my second drink. "Drunk works."

"So... don't electrocute me for asking," he held his hands up in surrender, "but were the Barbie twins Eric's dinner last night?"

"They were more than just dinner," I muttered darkly, then drained the rest of my drink and immediately started mixing a third. "Let's just call them _dinner and a show_." I shuddered.

"You saw what happened in their minds?" he asked gently.

"Saw it, heard it, felt it, tasted it, smelled it." I took a swig of my drink, pleased it was numbing me so quickly.

"God, how awful. And he wasn't... um, injured at all?" He was equal parts disgusted with Eric's behavior, and relieved he was OK. Weird.

"Oh no. He's in perfect working order, in every sense," I muttered. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." He tried to sound casual about it, but I 'heard' that this had something to do with the rumors he wouldn't tell me, the ones about what was happening to Eric.

"Fine, don't tell me what's going on." I got up to storm off, sloshing back another mouthful of my drink as I did. "Nobody tells me a fucking thing, you all think I'm too-"

His hand wrapped around my wrist as I started to stomp away, firmly pulling me back into my chair without hurting me at all.

"If you really want to know, Sookie," his voice rumbled low in his chest, his eyes dark, "why haven't you called him? He hasn't contacted you for weeks, doesn't that worry you?"

I burst into bitter laughter then, and even I could tell I was having rather extreme mood swings. I decided that was OK and finished off my third drink.

"If I got worried every time I didn't hear from Eric for weeks or months," I snorted, "I'd spend my whole life worrying about him, and usually, he's just too busy with vampire politics to bother with me." Then I softened. "But I should worry about him this time, shouldn't I? He's in trouble, isn't he?" I pleaded with my eyes, hoping he'd answer me.

"No," he answered carefully, "if Eric isn't physically injured now, then even if the rumors were true, the danger he was in has passed and he's come out of it safely, which is good."

"Why? So he can keep fucking everything that moves, just like he has for the last thousand years?" I spat out, furious. I started mixing myself yet another drink then, feeling like I needed more alcohol.

"No, that's not good. But he needs his strength to keep other vampires away from you. If he was weakened, it would be much easier for one of his rivals to take you from him. That's the real reason he let me back into his area to come stay with you while he's away, some other vampire is trying to get their fangs into you. He's seen what I'll do to protect you, and I can get you out of here in the daytime when all the vampires are asleep, so he figures that with Bill and James here as well, I'll be able to protect you if anything happens."

I put my hand against his face to help me read his mind and he didn't stop me, just pulled the memories to the surface so I didn't have to dig too deeply. I saw that he had met with Eric at Fangtasia the night before he came here to train me. I saw that Eric set out a whole lot of conditions on him being here, and that he would be punished in some way for going into my bedroom to comfort me when I was upset. That seemed really wrong to me. I saw that Eric didn't take my training seriously at all; he just treated it as an opportunity to keep someone here to protect me while he was away, and make it seem like it was my idea to have a bodyguard. (He seemed to think the same way about fixing up my house.) Eric was clearly concerned about my safety, but I couldn't tell why; Quinn still kept part of his mind closed to me so I wouldn't hear whatever rumors had been going around.

"Please tell me what's going on?" I begged him, tears rolling down my face. "I need to know what happened to him."

"Don't cry," he pleaded in return, pulling me to him and wrapping me in his arms, rubbing my back gently. "Please don't cry."

I could tell my tears were really bothering him, so I thought of what I'd seen in those girls' minds today to make myself sob even harder. The more loudly I wept against his shoulder, the weaker his resolve got; he hated seeing me upset and would do literally anything to cheer me up. If it was the only way to get him to tell me what he knew, I was going to run with it.

"Will you stop crying if I tell you?" he finally asked, worried he was being tricked by crocodile tears.

"I'll try," I mumbled against his shoulder, not certain I _could_ stop crying, now that I'd let myself start again.

He sighed loudly, pushing me back so he could look at me. "These are just rumors, OK? I could never confirm anything, so it's possible they weren't even true to begin with." He waited until I nodded to continue. "I heard that Felipe was holding a ball for his most loyal subjects, and that for the entertainment, he was going to carry out an especially nasty punishment on someone who defied him. The timing of it lined up so closely with when Eric was going away, and he seemed so worried last time I saw him, that I suspected he was the one being punished. But nobody would talk about what happened during the trial, so that means Felipe ordered them all to keep quiet about it."

"That's bad, isn't it?" I asked weakly.

"No, no, it's really good! It means that whatever happened makes Felipe look weak, which means that if it was Eric on trial, Eric won. If Felipe had actually been able to punish him, he'd want everyone to know about it. And Eric wouldn't be in full working order now if he'd been punished for something, you know what vampires are like with punishments."

I nodded numbly, thinking of the skin and hair of Waldo, a vampire Sophie-Anne punished for something by sticking him in a tank of salt water for a really long time to disfigure him. Eric certainly hadn't been on the receiving end of anything like that.

"So Eric plotted and schemed his way out of whatever trouble he was in, but he still hasn't come back to me?" I was barely holding back from total hysteria.

"That's a really good sign too, at least for Eric," Quinn told me as gently as he could. "If he was hurt, he'd have come here for some of your blood so he could heal faster, by-" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw my blank look. "You know how much strength your fairy blood gives him, right?" he asked tentatively.

I shook my head, catching in his thoughts that he'd just told me something Eric forbade him telling me, so he'd have to cop some sort of punishment for that, too.

"So my blood makes him stronger?" I yelled. "That's why he likes me?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not _all_ he likes," he joked, thinking I was far too hot to want for _only_ blood.

"Eric doesn't think of me the way you do," I mumbled, staring at my hands. "He has so many options, I'm not nearly as attractive to him."

"He's male and he's not gay, of course he thinks of you that way," he insisted. "I haven't had as much experience as Eric has, obviously, but I've been around enough to know how amazing you are. Sure he has other options, but I don't see how any of them can measure up to you. I know you're really upset at the moment but you must-"

"I shouldn't be," I insisted. "I have no right. He has to eat and if he's not biting me, he needs to get blood somewhere. I have no reason to be upset with him, really."

"You have every right." He gave me a funny look. "Your bonded was with those girls last night instead of coming to feed on you, and then you had to witness the whole thing in their minds. Whether he sent them here deliberately or just mentioned Merlotte's to them without thinking, that's still upsetting for you."

"It shouldn't be, it's nothing new," I countered, taking another sip of my drink. "I should be used to this, it's just how things are. He has to feed, you know."

"He does this to you a lot?" He was appalled.

"Not really, it's just... Any time Eric wants to see me, he summons me to Fangtasia. The place is always full of women looking for a repeat performance from him, so every time I go there, I see something I didn't want to know about. But he has to eat, he's not here biting me very often, and you know what vampires are like with feeding and sex."

"Are you sure you don't want me to kill him?" he half-joked.

"Right now, I'd almost take you up on it. He hasn't technically done anything wrong though, so it wouldn't be fair."

"Well, the offer's always open. And he has done something wrong, he cheated on his bonded. That sure as hell isn't right." He was fuming that Eric would disrespect me so.

"He didn't cheat, I'm not crazy enough to expect him to be faithful to me. I know I'm not enough for him. I'm not sure I could even give him enough blood, let alone... other stuff."

He was shocked into silence for a moment, amazed I would agree to such a thing. The stilted fragments of thought flying around his head told me that he didn't think I was the kind of girl who'd let her man fuck other women, and he was doubly amazed I'd agree to that when Eric got furious with me if I so much as hugged another man.

"He has to feed," I explained weakly. "When I'm not there, he still has to feed. They're just food to him, really. Happy meals on legs," I quoted one of the vampires on _Buffy_.

"I still don't understand. To choose those two instead of you... I can't imagine why anyone would do that."

I heard him think that the girls at Merlotte's were generic and dull, and I was the hottest thing around. He would very happily give up every other woman in the world to have me, and he figured my fairy blood would make me even more appealing to a vampire.

"Why not?" I spat out, answering his spoken statements instead of the unspoken ones. "He had a threesome with two cheerleaders who are thinner than me and act like bimbos. It's the ultimate male fantasy, of course he wants them instead of me. It's some of the others that I don't understand."

"What do you mean? What others?" He sounded even more appalled than he had before.

"Well, there was this girl who was addicted to crystal meth," I admitted shakily. "She had sores on her face and some teeth missing. He's been with her twice so he must really like her. And there was this other girl with a medical thing that makes her smell really bad. Even humans can't stand to be near her, but he's got vampire senses and he still... well, you know. He could've had me instead, all he had to do was call and ask, I would've even gone to Fangtasia if I was free, but he wanted them. Am I really that bad?"

I had never mentioned any of the things I'd seen in other women's heads to anyone before, and saying it aloud made it all very... real, suddenly. In my own head, I could justify it all. He's not human, he's a vampire. He doesn't eat food, he drinks human blood. Blood makes him ridiculously horny. True Blood is a really crappy substitute for the real thing. He's fucked all his meals for the last thousand years and none of them mean a thing to him, why should it be any different now? But now I'd said it out loud and made it real, it seemed wrong somehow. Intolerably wrong. Not for him – he is what he is and I can't change that – but for me. Both vampires I had dated had fed on other people while they were with me, and I had always figured that was just part of the deal and tried to ignore it. But now I'd told someone about it, I knew I couldn't put up with it any more.

For the first time, I was certain that Eric and I were over. I started sobbing again and Quinn pulled his chair close to mine so he could hug me. I leaned against him and kept drinking, finishing my fourth drink and pouring a fifth. He took it from my hand and drained half of it before he handed it back to me.

"Hey!"

"Babe, listening to this, I need a drink as much as you do. That vampire is such an idiot." He was again thinking what he'd give to be with me, to have what Eric has.

I got up and retrieved a glass from the cupboard, staggering all the way. "Get your own damn drink," I grumbled, slamming it down on the table.

"Miss Stackhouse, I do believe you're drunk," he teased. "You've forgotten your manners."

"I've forgotten more than my mannersss," I agreed, plunking down in his lap. Even I could hear that I was slurring my speech. "I've forgotten why I ssshhouldn't kissssh you, too."

I moved in to do exactly that, figuring in perfect drunken logic that I should kiss they guy who wants me and ignore the one who doesn't, but he started talking again before I could.

"OK, you really are drunk." There was a note of sadness underneath his joking tone. "I'm the ex-boyfriend who's too hung up on you to move on, remember? The one you're very careful never to give any false hope that you still want me? The pathetic nice guy who hangs around making puppy dog eyes at you, while you pine for the bad boy who keeps hurting you?"

"Right, this is just like one of those movies I keep choosing," I snorted, annoyed that even he wouldn't kiss me now. "I'm the ditzy heroine who can't work out what she wants, Eric's the asshole I keep chasing even though he's clearly not interested in me, and you're the nice guy who I can't manage to see as anything other than a friend, even though you're just as hot as the asshole. Great theory, but he's a vampire, you're a weretiger, I'm a fairy halfling who shoots lightning out of my hands when I'm pissed off, and we all kill people we don't like. This isn't a happily-ever-after movie, Quinn, it's a horror freak show where everyone ends up dead."

The room was spinning and I felt queasy; maybe downing four very strong drinks in quick succession wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Darn," he joked. "Here I was, hoping this was the moment where you realize the nice guy would treat you right and make you happy. But the horror movie thing does make more sense, you look like you're about to projectile vomit while your head spins round."

"Ugh, don't remind me." I swallowed hard, trying to keep the contents of my stomach where they belonged.

"You'll be OK, babe." He pulled me into a bear hug, holding me tightly against his chest.

I was feeling very sleepy, but there was one more thing I had to say before I passed out. "You're not pathetic," I mumbled. "You're wonderful. And really hot, too."

I was unconscious before he could respond.


	21. Daydreams

It was dark when I woke. I was in my bedroom, lying fully clothed on top of my bed covers. My head pounded and my mouth tasted like something had crawled into it and died. There was a glass of water on my nightstand, and I gulped it down gratefully. As the water spread through my insides, my dizziness subsided.

The room was lit very dimly, and I turned toward the source of the light: the lamp on the nightstand on the other side of my bed. I bumped into something as I rolled over; something huge and very warm, with bulges in all the right places. OK, someone.

"Hey," Quinn greeted me. "You feeling better?"

"What are you doing in my bed?" I asked, as he put his book down on the nightstand.

"Bucket duty. You don't feel like you're going to throw up again, do you?"

"Again?" I saw it all in his thoughts before he could answer. "Oh, gross. Sorry," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it, I'm the one who stuck a bottle of gin in front of you when you were upset. You might want to go brush your teeth though, you smell pretty bad."

"Sorry."

As I got up, I almost tripped over the bucket that sat beside my bed, but left it where it was, just in case. I brushed, flossed and mouth-washed thoroughly to get the acrid taste out of my mouth. When I came out of my bathroom, Quinn was reading again.

"Thanks for looking after me." I climbed back onto my bed beside him. "I feel a lot better now. About everything, I mean."

"That's good," he smiled. "I'm really glad to hear that. Do you want me to go now?"

I shook my head and cuddled up against his side, draping my arm over him as I lay my head on his chest. It was true that I felt better than I did that afternoon, but that wasn't saying much. I was still emotionally raw, and there was something really comforting about being close to another living being; the warmth, the reassuring sound of a steady heartbeat, the way that living flesh yields a little when you press against it. I wasn't about to turn down a hug. He curled his arm around me and held me silently, trying hard to keep his thoughts strictly friendly and comforting. I was having the same problem; he had such a great body that I found it difficult not to recall how wonderful it felt to touch him. I was enjoying his wordless company and the sexual tension between us, but I couldn't remember what happened after my fourth drink that afternoon, and eventually curiosity got the better of me.

"I didn't do anything embarrassing while I was drunk, did I?"

"Well..." he chuckled, "you did tell me you couldn't remember why you shouldn't kiss me."

I let it sink in that I had said that out loud. I expected to feel mortified but I didn't; I was more disappointed that he resisted such a clear invitation... although I had been very drunk then. What would happen if I said that sober, I wondered?

"Still can't," I admitted, realizing I was probably still a little drunk if I was being so frank. "It's pretty clear that things are over with Eric. I don't want to jump into some rebound thing, but... I like you. I never stopped liking you."

"Really?" He moved us both so we lay facing each other, mere inches apart. "Wow. That's the best thing I've heard all year. I never stopped liking you, either. Well, never stopped loving you, actually... but I guess you already know that because I keep saying it all the time." He was rambling nervously, which I found sweet and endearing. "If you want to kiss me again, nothing would make me happier, so any time you want to... I won't ask for anything more and I completely understand if it's a one-time thing. Not that I don't want to get back together with you, if you want to, but I won't assume it's going to happen from just one kiss."

He was stroking my face with his fingertips and the tenderness of it was overwhelming. My telepathy was even stronger when I was touching someone, so his feelings flowed through me unhindered, flooding me with love and joy and frustration and longing. It was intensely erotic, to feel so much from such simple contact with another person. I closed my eyes and let his emotions fill my mind, while he kept trying to put all those feelings into words to make sure I knew it would be OK.

"It's your choice, babe. I'll give you anything you want, as much or as little as you want. Well, I wouldn't have sex with you right now because I'd feel like I was taking advantage while you're upset and I don't want you to ever regret being with me. Anything else you want, though... I just want you to be happy, so if I can make you feel better, I'll do whatever I can -"

He was tying himself in knots trying to explain things that were already apparent to me because I could read his mind.

"I know," I interrupted, leaning in to kiss him.

He sighed when our lips met, relieved and delighted. He didn't hesitate, didn't think twice, just poured all his love and affection into the kiss. He planted tender closed-mouth kisses on me first, so sweet and gentle that I relaxed and let myself melt against him, completely lost in the sensations. My lips parted hungrily and he responded straight away. We both moved tentatively for a few moments, unused to each other, before he tilted my head to a different angle and pressed harder against my lips. Suddenly we fit together perfectly; my whole body moulded to his as though it was made to fit there. I had forgotten how wonderful he tasted, warm and alive with a gamey wildness. I was more than happy to be reminded; it was exactly what I needed.

We kept on kissing slowly and gently, not hurrying because there was no particular destination either of us had in mind. I could feel his emotions as clearly as my own, and he loved me so much it was like being wrapped in a warm, safe cocoon. I basked in the simple happiness, exploring his mouth until I remembered every detail. Soon, we knew each other so well again that it was like we'd never been apart.

We were both savoring the feeling of kissing one another, drawing out the experience by keeping our minds off all the other things we wanted to do. But we weren't teenage virgins; neither of us could kiss a former lover so intensely for long without wanting more. My hands started roaming his body, exploring his flesh as though it were mine for the taking, and my nipples started rubbing against his chest as though they had a mind of their own. Our kiss deepened and intensified, pulling me down into it. I didn't want to stop, no matter how much trouble this was going to cause.

I felt how much he was straining to hold back, to keep from peeling my clothes off and making love to me. The things he wanted to do kept flashing through his mind and I saw every one of them. He was utterly obsessed with pleasuring me, wanting so badly to make me scream for him that he could think of nothing else. The kissing, the close contact and his mental images were too much. My body was ready for him, aching for him, but my mind told me to stop now, before it was too late. I pulled away, panting.

"If we keep going..." I gasped for breath.

"I know, I know."

He rolled me over so I faced away from him and curled in behind me, holding me loosely and breathing in my ear. I wriggled back so I was pressed against him, feeling how hard he was against my ass. I lay there for a long time, my panties soaked, watching the images that flashed through his mind as he struggled to stop thinking about making love to me, but mostly failed.

As his mind wandered, I saw exactly what he wanted. In his fantasies, I was naked, wet and very willing. I wanted him more than I'd ever wanted anyone and told him so; begging him to make love to me. He was endlessly patient, teasing orgasm after orgasm from my body until I was more satisfied than I'd ever been. Through it all, he was gentle, tender and completely loving. He thought about the way he would kiss and caress me in at least as much detail as being inside me; and even then, it was all about the look of my face and the enormous pleasure I would feel as we made love. In his fantasies, he was never rough or impatient with me, but I sometimes got so overcome with need for him that I took him hard and fast, using his body for my own pleasure.

It was those last images that provoked the greatest response from me, and I felt ashamed and confused about that; he fantasized about making love to me tenderly, but my own fantasies were much darker.

I knew he could smell how strongly I reacted to the idea of me taking him roughly. "Sorry," I muttered.

_What on earth are you apologizing for? _he asked silently. _I'm the one who can't keep my thoughts G-rated._

"The things you think about are so sweet and gentle," I whispered.

_Oh... _It took him a few seconds to realize what I meant. _Do you think about things that aren't sweet and gentle? Is that why the idea of you being rough with me turns you on so much?_ His thoughts were racing ahead excitedly, delighted by the idea.

I gave a small nod and felt his cock twitch against my ass as I did.

He rumbled quietly in my ear, growling his excitement. _Oh God, please show me? I'd love to see what you think about. Please?_

I blushed bright red, but after 'listening' to so many of his fantasies, I knew it was only fair to show him one of mine. I'd been learning to project my thoughts, and I could usually get a message across if I was touching the person I wanted to 'talk' to and concentrated hard. I reached back to press my hand against his face and he kissed my palm, then rubbed his cheek against it, his stubble scratching me a little.

My favorite fantasy came to mind easily, the one I'd been playing in my mind every time I touched myself recently. Increasingly, it was Quinn who starred in it, not some faceless stranger. In my thoughts, he was my sex slave, there to satisfy me in any way I wanted. Whatever I demanded, he gave me. I took him greedily, over and over, using him for my own satisfaction. In my thoughts, that was what he wanted, what excited him above all else: being ordered around and made to pleasure me. The images in my mind were explicit and detailed, honed to a sublime erotic perfection through frequent use.

_God, that's so hot._

His response shocked me out of my daydream; I hadn't realized I was projecting anything to him yet. It usually took all my concentration to send even a few brief images, and I had planned to cherry-pick the least offensive ones to show him, if I managed to send any at all. Instead, in a few overheated seconds, I had shared it all with him, projecting my deepest, darkest fantasies directly into his mind. I was sure he would be repulsed, or insulted by his subordinate role in them, but I quickly realized he didn't mind at all. He was rubbing frantically against my ass, desperately hard, as his hands snaked underneath my clothing.

_Please, let me touch you? _were the only coherent words he managed to think. He was so excited that he had to let off steam somehow, but I saw that he still knew not to take things too far. He was asking to touch me, that was all; he didn't even plan to take off my clothes. He wanted one small taste of what it would be like to be mine in that way, a brief chance to pleasure me.

"Yes." The word was out of my mouth before I knew I was speaking.

An instant later, his hand slid down by body, dipped briefly into the puddle of moisture in my panties, then he found its target and started stroking me. I cried out, thrilled and shocked that I was getting something so like my deepest desires so suddenly. His other hand was under my t-shirt, pulling my bra up out of the way. As soon as my breasts were free, he was all over them, stroking, caressing and gently pinching my nipples. When I whimpered my approval, he pressed me firmly back against him, so he could grind against my ass while he touched me. Just like my fantasy, he was utterly focused on satisfying me and he loved it. It was even better than I had hoped, so I kept my hand pressed against his face and let him feel how much I enjoyed it.

_Show me more? Please?_

I let my mind drift to another of my favorite fantasies. I sat on a chair far fancier than anything I owned and he knelt before me, licking and fingering me to a spectacular climax. As soon as I came, I slid my boneless body down off the chair, impaling myself on him. He tried to move me up and down to the rhythm he wanted but I snapped my fingers and his hands were pinned to the ground, restraining him there. I rode him for hours while he held himself back, only finishing when I was finally done with him.

Once again, I managed to send him every second of my daydream before I'd even decided how much to show him. I didn't care any more; I was so excited by the way he was touching me that all I could think about was making sure he enjoyed this as much as I did. He was growling in my ear, grinding against me furiously, his body tense with desire. I could feel that his jeans were too tight and uncomfortable for him to find his release, but he was trying anyway. Before I could think better of it, I reached behind me to touch him. My fingers were fumbling with the button and zipper of his jeans and freeing him, taking him in my hand, caressing the silky smooth skin that strained over the rock hard core of him. He thrust gratefully into my hand, sliding his length against my arm while I squeezed him as hard as I could.

Mere seconds later, his hands stilled and he snarled in my ear, his body convulsing against my back. He came all over my arm and in the jumble of thoughts that ran through his mind as he climaxed, I felt the same things over and over: he loved me, he was mine, and he desperately wanted me to take pleasure from his body the way I did in the fantasies I'd just shown him.

His hands were moving again almost immediately, stroking me more tenderly now. I removed my hand so I could press right back against him again, needing the closeness. As I licked his come from my arm, savoring his taste, he purred in my ear and nuzzled my neck. Now I was the one frantic with need and his gentle, tender caresses just weren't going to get me there. I pulled his hand from my jeans so I could undo the front, then slid my own hand in there. I couldn't help but moan as I pushed two fingers deep into myself; I had been aching for something inside me for so long. I pressed the heel of my hand against my clit and started grinding against it. My pleasure was building fast, and I knew it wouldn't be long before I was done.

He projected an image of me lying on my back while I came, bucking and screaming as he licked and sucked my nipples. "Please," I moaned and he did exactly what he showed me, rolling me gently onto my back and pushing my t-shirt up so he could stroke his prickly tongue against the sensitive pink tips. The sensations were overwhelming and I moaned loudly as I got closer, closer, closer...

Then he projected an image of me kneeling over him while he lay on his back, pressing my clit to his mouth. With the image came the most exquisite pleasure, as he imagined the smell of my arousal filling his nostrils, the feel of my juices dripping onto his chin, the taste as he sucked that vital bundle of nerves, the view he would have of the underside of my breasts as I played with my own nipples, and the sounds I would make as I ground against his face in ecstasy. I stared into his eyes as he showed me exactly how much he would enjoy giving me what I wanted, and the thought of doing that to him pushed me straight over the edge. Bursts of bright white light exploded through my body and my muscles milked my fingers as I screamed and shook, moaned and sobbed.

When I was done, he triggered a dozen wonderful aftershocks with gentle licks all over my breasts, then pulled me into a tender embrace and kissed me. It was heaven, my bare nipples pressed against his t-shirt while his tongue explored my mouth all over again. I felt incredibly lucky, to have such a beautiful man so intent on pleasuring me. I pulled my hand from my pants and let him suck my fingers, staring into my eyes as he cleaned every last drop of my moisture from them. His mind was full of thoughts of how delicious I was, how wonderful my skin, my mouth, my juices and my blood all tasted to him. When we kissed again a few moments later, our flavors were mingled on his lips and I found myself mentally agreeing with him.

As I started to drift off to sleep, he wrapped himself around me, knowing his body heat would keep me warm. He was mostly interested in my welfare, but I also caught him thinking that if I didn't feel cold, perhaps I'd forget to pull my t-shirt back down before I fell asleep and stay exactly as I was, with my breasts, belly and a few blond curls all on display. He was studying the way my side curved in, then flared out dramatically to my hips, wondering how anyone could be so beautiful and perfect. I fell asleep with a smile on my face, feeling more appreciated than I had for a very long time.


	22. Normal

When I woke the next morning, Quinn was still there, snuggled against my side. I grinned involuntarily as my eyes met his, still a little high from all the pleasure he had given me the night before. Then I remembered everything that happened and felt mortified. I went to right my clothing but found it was already done; we were both dressed as though we did nothing but sleep all night. Only the stickiness inside my jeans and a few stains on his t-shirt gave us away.

_Hey,_ he greeted me. _I didn't want you to wake up alone, but I'll go now if you want._

I nodded, ashamed to have shown him my grubby fantasies. He started to get up and leave, but stopped when he glanced back and saw the shame written all over my face.

_You didn't do anything wrong,_ he insisted. _You were drunk and upset, so we fooled around a bit to make you feel better. You know I love you and I want you back, but I'm going to assume last night was a one-off unless you tell me otherwise. OK?_

I nodded again, but my eyes were filling with tears in spite of myself.

_Please, tell me why you're upset? I don't want things to be weird between us._

"I shouldn't have shown you that stuff," I whispered, so quietly I hoped nobody else heard.

_Your fantasies? Well, I'm no telepath, but it all seems pretty normal to me. You're in love with a man who leaves you alone most of the time and you dream of having someone here to satisfy you whenever you want. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the link there. As for me being in it... we'll, I'm flattered, but I suspect you also think about the postman and the milkman and a dozen other men in exactly the same way. You big trollop._ He arched an eyebrow at me, challenging me to deny it.

I couldn't help laughing; he was right that he wasn't the only man I thought of that way.

_Well, I'm just gonna leave you to it. I'll be across the hall, outdoing a man whose sexual talents are legendary on five continents, so you like me best. Can't imagine why I'd spend so much time daydreaming about that... although I guess I've got to outdo the postman, the milkman and the local football team now, too. Give me a yell when you're done with them all._ He winked at me and left.

I had a good, hard belly laugh at his comments, and some of the weirder sexual fantasies I'd seen in people's heads over the years, too. Then I remembered how many times I'd 'heard' about someone kissing a friend or sleeping with an ex again when they were upset, and realized he was right to assume that's all that was going on; I wasn't nearly ready to move on from Eric yet.

By the time I went out to the kitchen for breakfast, all the weirdness had evaporated. We went right back to our previous routine, and even though I caught him thinking about my fantasies a couple of times, neither of us mentioned that night again. It was as though it never happened, and that was exactly how I needed it to be.


	23. Disaster

"Come inside, you have to see this," Amelia yelled from the back door.

Quinn and I stopped sparring and headed inside.

Another week had passed, and my training was going well. When I first started, it had been incredibly tough and I felt like I would never be able to fight a shifter, let alone a vampire or a fairy. Three weeks in, I could feel that Quinn wasn't holding back any more when we sparred. I had become adept at reading his next moves from his mind, so I was ready whenever he struck. I wasn't exactly a vicious fighter, but I could dance around for hours without him laying a paw on me, waiting for an opening so I could strike. I was starting to enjoy the sparring, but boy was I tired each night.

Quinn was still staying with Amelia and I, and he was wonderful company. Fooling around that night a week ago hadn't changed things between us, thankfully; we had gone straight back to our routine. We talked over lunch and dinner every day, and sometimes our conversations ran late into the night as well. Amelia was usually with us for meals, but she went to her room after dinner each night to study the fairy magic she would teach me the next morning, leaving Quinn and I alone. He and I talked about everything: our lives, the things we liked and disliked, our hopes and dreams for the future. From favorite TV shows to deepest darkest secrets, I was comfortable discussing anything with him, and he was equally forthcoming with me. He had become one of my closest friends in just a few weeks, and I couldn't imagine him being out of my life again.

I also had my best friend back, because Amelia had really come to life again in the previous three weeks. Learning fairy magic had proven just the distraction she needed and while she still missed Tray, her grief wasn't all-consuming any more. She still had her moments of extreme sadness and I heard her cry herself to sleep some nights, but during the day she was OK. I was glad to see her coping so well with such a terrible loss.

We now had a second house guest, too: James, the vampire accommodations contractor Eric sent to build a day room at my place. He was using the hidey hole in Quinn's closet during the days so he didn't have to drive from Shreveport each night. He's Pam's childe, so we figured he was trustworthy - plus we all enjoyed his company, especially Amelia. I was puzzled that he was still here, in light of Eric breaking up with me in such spectacular fashion, but I was pretty sure my roommate had something to do with that; there was a clear chemistry between them, and we all knew that only her grief kept them apart. I also knew that nobody would expect to find Eric at my place any more, so that probably made his hidey holes here more valuable, not less.

James' work had turned my house upside down, and there were two huge holes in the backyard. We told anyone who asked that I couldn't decide which was the better spot for a swimming pool, but one hole was really for Eric's day suite. James knew how to turn those huge underground rainwater tanks into underground rooms; the internal fit-out was done off-site, so when they arrived he would drop them into place late that night and have them covered by morning. He had even tunneled under the house, so the day room would be accessible from a hidden trapdoor inside. The tunnel ran into the woods as an escape route, in case anyone repeated Victor Madden's stunt during the takeover when he threatened to burn us out. The door that would lead to the day room was well hidden. If you didn't know where to look, you would walk through the tunnel without knowing it was there.

James found himself a lot of extra work around the house, from repairing the garden shed to building a deck around the pool once it went in. He insisted that he had to find more to do because the painting, fencing and window repairs were done so quickly that he needed more cover stories for having so many men and so much equipment at my place. I suspected that Eric had put him up to it, so he could keep checking on me, but I was always too tired to argue about it after training.

I had to admit that the house looked great, and after James gave me invoices for the painting and fencing and I paid them, I felt more comfortable about him working on the place. I was pleased that he charged me fair commercial rates for those jobs. Once we agreed that he would invoice me for the swimming pool and deck as well, I didn't feel like Eric's charity case any more and I was fine with him working on my house.

"Come inside, you have to see this," Amelia yelled from the back door.

Quinn and I had been training in the back yard that Sunday afternoon, practicing dodging weapons. He had a large sword while I was unarmed; I was reading his moves in his mind and skipping out of the way before he could hit me. I danced around him, using the occasional openings to swat his backside or tug his ear instead of actually attacking him. I was enjoying myself. The huge holes and piles of dirt in the yard made sparring more interesting, because they forced me to watch my footing as much as I watched my opponent.

When Amelia yelled at us to come in, we headed straight inside. She led us into the living room, where the television was on. It was 2pm on Sunday afternoon, and I really wasn't expecting what I saw on TV.

Downtown Seattle looked like a war zone, with rubble piled high in the streets, holes in the side of buildings, broken windows and a thick coating of dirt over everything. People wandered dazed in the streets, bloodied and disheveled. The reporter said a swank apartment building had been bombed, sending debris all over the surrounding city blocks. Part of the building collapsed, and what still stood was open to the world like a dolls house, with furniture and personal effects hanging over the mangled edge.

A radical offshoot of the Fellowship of the Sun had claimed responsibility. The building was vampire-friendly and a dozen of the 80 apartments were occupied by vamps. The bombs had gone off at 10am on Sunday morning, Pacific time (midday our time), and many residents were at home. It seemed like a tactic to maximize the number of human casualties.

The reporter said that rescue crews were having great difficulty finding survivors in the tangled rubble.

"I have to go there," I told them. "I can get people out."

Amelia and Quinn both looked at me and nodded, immediately sure it was the right thing for me to do.

"What can we do to help?" Quinn asked.

My brain started ticking over and I quickly had a plan.

"Find me a map of the Queen of Southern California's place. I have to go get Barry, we'll find more people together."

Barry was the only other telepath I knew, apart from Hunter. When we held hands and worked together, we were much stronger than either of us were individually. We could find people hidden deep within the rubble that way, as we had in Rhodes.

"I'll get my laptop," Amelia replied.

She had a map in front of me two minutes later. I studied the satellite pictures of the Queen's estate, and then Amelia showed me views of it from the street. Quinn helped me choose a good spot to materialize when I teleported there, so I wouldn't be seen appearing out of thin air.

I thanked them both, shut my eyes and concentrated hard. It was by far the furthest I had ever teleported, but with a 'pop', I was there. I stood across the road from the Queen's compound, behind a tree that hid me from their security cameras. Any other day, I would've gawked at the grandeur of the mansions all around me, but today I had other things on my mind. I reached out with my mind to find Barry, and I could tell where he was, but there was something blocking me from teleporting in. Darn.

I concentrated really hard again, and _'pop!'_ I was back in my living room. Amelia and Quinn turned to look at me in surprise.

"There are wards around the complex. I can't teleport in. Do you know how to get me past them?"

Amelia nodded. "It'll take too long to explain. Just pull the information straight from my head," she offered, walking towards me.

"Are you sure?" I checked. "It'll hurt."

"I'll think about the things you need to know, so they're closer to the surface and you don't have to dig so deep."

"It'll still hurt."

"I know, but this is more important," she insisted stoically.

I nodded. "Quinn, while I do this, can you find me a baseball cap, to hide my face a bit? I think Jason's old ones are in the store room under the house. And grab one of my jackets from my room, it'll be cold in Seattle."

He nodded and left the room. He knew it was a ruse to get him to leave; I could conjure up any clothing I needed, but I wanted to give Amelia some privacy. Being deep-read by a telepath is so mentally disruptive it can turn a person into a drooling vegetable for a few minutes, and I knew she wouldn't want him to see that. I put my hands on either side of her face and slipped into her mind. She was thinking about protective wards, trying to go through everything she knew about them so I could skim it from the surface of her mind. I followed her train of thought, digging deeper to retrieve all the background knowledge I needed to understand it. I knew I was hurting her, but I had to get to the bomb site as quickly as possible. I couldn't do this the slow way; it would take hours.

After five minutes digging around Amelia's mind, I knew everything she did about protective wards. She looked pale and sick; I had violently pillaged her mind to get that knowledge.

"I'm so sorry," I told her.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't feel sorry for me, you're the one going to a bomb site."

She was making light of the situation, but I could feel how badly her head hurt. It would take her hours to get her thoughts back in order after I had rifled through them like that. I felt bad about it, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.

Quinn walked back in and handed me a baseball cap and a jacket.

"Thanks Quinn."

"Do you need your purse?" he asked, handing it to me.

"No, I can't take any ID. If I buy anything or stay anywhere, I've got to use cash."

I took all the cash from my purse, and Amelia and Quinn gave me all the cash they had in the house as well. I insisted I would pay them back and they didn't argue, but I saw in both their thoughts that they weren't going to let me. Between us, we had almost $250; it would be enough for me to get a hotel room, food and fresh clothes if I needed to stay in Seattle tonight.

"Thank you both so much," I told them, and popped back to the Queen's compound.

This time, I instantly knew what type of wards I faced. I knew what the weaknesses of those wards were, and by changing the way I teleported in slightly, I got straight past them. I silently thanked Amelia for letting me take the knowledge I needed.

I honed in on Barry's thoughts as I jumped, so I materialized a couple of yards from him, in the middle of a room. I looked around and saw I was in his bedroom, standing right next to his bed. It was a huge, luxurious suite, but there was no time for me to appreciate the decor. It was 12:30pm in this timezone and he lay in bed, snoring loudly. He must keep vampire hours now.

"Barry, wake up," I shook him. "C'mon, wake up."

He woke with a start and sat up abruptly. "Sookie. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Where's your TV?" I asked him.

"You came here to watch my TV?" he sounded confused.

"No, there's something you need to see."

He got up, walked into the next room and turned on his TV. "Is there something in particular you want me to watch?"

"Any of the news channels."

He flipped to the news and gasped at the scene he saw. "Another bombing."

I nodded.

"Fellowship?"

I nodded again.

"You're going there?"

I nodded a third time.

"I'll come with you. How are you getting there? Come to think of it, how did you get in here? And what are you doing in California, anyway?"

"I came to find you. I teleported here from my place, and I'll pop up to Seattle the same way."

"You can teleport?"

"It's kind of new, please don't tell anyone. I've never teleported anyone with me before, but I'll try if you're game? I can borrow a protective amulet that'll put you back together if I stuff up."

He didn't like the sound of that. "I hope you don't mind, but I'll make other arrangements. The Queen said I can use her plane for emergencies, so I'll get to Seattle that way."

"OK, that's sensible," I admitted.

"I'll just check that I can get the plane," he told me as he picked up his phone.

I didn't listen to his conversation; I was thinking through what I needed to do next. Barry's laptop was on the table, so I opened a web browser and found a map of the bomb site, as well as the street view of the area before it was bombed. I was very glad Amelia had shown me how to do that. I quickly found a spot in an alley two blocks away where I could appear without being noticed.

"They'll have me there in three hours," he told me. "3:30pm at the latest. Can you get started without me?"

"Sure. We'll have about 3 hours to work together before the vamps start waking."

"Good. Well, see you in three hours?"

"See you then," I told him.

In my mind, I reached out to that Seattle alley, found the spot where I would appear, and _'pop!'_ I was there.


	24. Seattle

The Seattle bomb site was even worse than it looked on TV; I simply hadn't appreciated the scale of the destruction when the buildings were just a foot high on the screen. Up close, piles of rubble towered above me and I could barely see the top floor of the torn-open apartment building. As far as I could see, every single building was damaged and dirty. Even before I reached the cordons, I could 'hear' that dozens of people, at least, were still trapped inside the bomb site and in surrounding buildings.

I scanned the minds of the emergency personnel until I found the boss. I used Hunter's mind trick to make everyone between the boss and I ignore me as I walked past them.

"Excuse me," I said in my politest voice.

"You shouldn't be back here."

"Captain Roberts, I'm pleased to meet you." I had plucked his name from the heads of his staff as I walked over.

I held out my hand and he shook it warily.

"And you are?"

"I helped find the survivors after the Rhodes bombing. Agent Sara Weiss from the FBI will vouch for me if you call her."

He looked stunned. "I heard rumors... you worked with a man?"

"He's on his way. He'll be here about 3:30. I can get started without him. I can find people near the outside alone, we only have to work together to find people who are trapped deeper inside."

He thought about it for a few seconds. He had heard stories about what Barry and I did at Rhodes and he was skeptical, but he was willing to do anything to save lives. He decided to start cautiously.

"Look, I don't believe in psychics, but I'll take whatever help I can get. We haven't been able to get the dogs out yet so we're poking around blindly; we really need some help. I'll give you a team of two for the next half hour to show me what you can do."

"OK," I agreed. "I'm not a psychic, anyway. I'm just good at finding people. Think of me as a human sniffer dog if you like."

He smiled briefly at my joke, then called over two firefighters and told them to work with me. While he was briefing them, I found three survivors who were close by, but hadn't been found because they were hidden under rubble. By the time the Captain left to attend to something else a couple minutes later, I was ready to begin.

The two firefighters looked at me skeptically, but I led them straight to an elderly diabetic man, trapped beneath a pile of building debris only 20 yards from where the Captain had been standing. They were astonished. They called over three other officers to help free the man, while two paramedics started treating him so he could be moved. Ten minutes after I got to Seattle, I had helped save one person already.

As soon as the first man was free, I pointed the five firefighters to another victim; then another and another. Four National Guardsmen came over to help the firefighters get the survivors out of the rubble. They were carrying out the fourth person I found when the Captain came back to find out if I was any good. His Lieutenant came over to tell him I was; he had kept watch over me at his boss's instruction.

"I don't know how she does it, but she's amazing," the Lieutenant told him. "I've been watching her work and she's incredible. She tells the men exactly where people are, who they are, what state they're in... I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself."

The Captain just nodded and turned to me. "You can find more people?"

"Yes, I can tell you where survivors are and what state they're in," I promised.

"We sure could use that."

"I can also tell you where vampires are trapped, so you can get the police vamps in to them as soon as they wake up."

He wasn't a fan of vampires. "Vampires aren't our priority, they're already dead."

"I know, but you don't want hungry, injured vampires anywhere near you when they wake up."

He looked skeptical. "What do you know about injured vampires?"

"More than anyone should," I told him.

He saw the look on my face and said, "oh" softly.

"You need to get the vampire police here as soon as possible," I insisted, "but the vampires in the rubble will be awake before they get here, so we'll need some Weres to deal with them. I've counted twenty in there so far and most of them will need a lot of blood when they wake. If you don't have plenty of bottled blood here already, you should get some now. We have to get all the humans, survivors and rescuers, out of the rubble before sunset. Being fed on by an injured vampire won't help anybody."

"OK, I'll arrange it."

"Good. Do you have the special blankets for any vampires we uncover while we're getting the human survivors out? I won't help kill anyone, even if they're technically already dead."

"I'll get some," he agreed gruffly. Saving vampires wasn't his priority, but he was willing to humor me.

"OK. I'll need to go up in the crane to find survivors who are higher up, and can you have your men look out for my partner, please? He'll be here at 3:30 and we can find people much deeper in when we work together."

He nodded and assigned his Lieutenant to take me anywhere I needed to go. I found 30 more people in the next 20 minutes, and rescue crews were assigned to every one of them. A few were close to death and I wasn't sure what to do. Was there any chance of getting them out alive? For a brief moment, I wished I had Hunter there to tell me who we could save. Then I realized how terrible that would be for anyone, especially a small child, and felt bad for thinking it. I told the Lieutenant which people were almost gone and let him decide what to do; he did his best to get them out in time, but for some, it was already too late.

Just as they had in Rhodes, the rescue personnel kept trying to get people out even after I told them the person had died. At one point, I almost said something snippy about them wasting time that would be better spent saving the living. Then I realized they were trying to recover someone's daughter or son, sister or brother, mother or father. I held my tongue and let them keep going.

As I walked around the site, 'listening' for survivors trapped in the rubble, I noticed that the ground was a lot clearer than it had been in Rhodes. For a ghoulish moment I felt lucky to be on the scene later this time, because there weren't nearly as many stray body parts lying around when I got here; the rescuers must have removed them. Then I felt incredibly selfish that such a thing had crossed my mind. How many people died in the hours before I got here, who I might've been able to save?

I headed up in the crane and found about a dozen people who were near the outside of the building. I had to stay close while the firefighters got to them because the rubble was so tangled that finding people was impossible without detailed directions. I saw some truly horrible things, but I pushed them all to one side and kept reaching out with my mind to find more survivors. I knew I would see those gruesome images in my nightmares in months to come, so there was no need to dwell on them now.

As well as the injured, the rescuers were bringing out a lot of bodies they found while they were getting to survivors. One man was still lying in his bed when they reached him. His wife and two small daughters were with him; he had been reading his daughters the cartoons from the newspaper when the bombs went off. They had all survived the initial blasts, but they were trapped, wounded and bleeding. One by one, his family had died beside him in the four hours they waited to be rescued. The expression on the man's face as he watched them carry out the three body bags after him, one large and two small, was the most heart-breaking thing I had ever seen. I pulled up all my shields for a couple of minutes to keep myself out of his mind; I couldn't bear to hear what was going through the poor man's head as he watched his whole family being taken away to the morgue.

When Barry arrived, I got him through the cordons quickly and we went to work. Holding hands, we found a dozen people trapped deeper in the building, as well as ten more vampires. I realized that most of the building's residents had been home that Sunday morning, and many of them were trapped when the bombs went off. Some of those people would live for hours more, maybe longer, and it still wouldn't be long enough to free them. Others were found with so much of their body mangled or missing that their lives would never be the same again. Many had lost people they loved dearly. I was too numb to cry for any of them.

With two hours left until their sunset deadline, everyone rallied for one last push to get all the human survivors out before the vampires began waking, and many extra Guardsmen joined the rescue efforts. I warned the Captain and the Lieutenant that older vampires would be awake sooner than that and they gave me another funny look, thinking I was a fang-banger, but made sure they had Weres available to get blood to the vampires from 5:30pm onwards, an hour before sunset.

By 6:00pm, all but three of the humans we found were out of the building.

_Can you handle it from here?_ Barry asked. _I need to get back to my Queen._

It was the first time either of us had said anything that wasn't related to finding people all afternoon. We were each guarding our thoughts around the other, and that didn't make for easy telepathic conversation._  
_

_Sure,_ I told him. _Thank you for coming. Will you be able to get back there OK?_

_There's a driver waiting for me three blocks away and the Queen's plane is at the airport._

_Just make sure they don't follow you. The FBI worked out who I am and they're trying to recruit me._

_Oh, they won't find me,_ Barry flashed a huge, self-satisfied grin my way.

_I don't want to know._

He laughed, dropped my hand and left. I used Hunter's mind trick to make sure nobody stopped him as he walked away.

"Hey, little fairy," a big two-natured firefighter greeted me, sniffing the air. "You like tigers, huh? Quinn? He's quite a guy, that one." He smiled approvingly, his head full of gruesome images from Quinn's fights that I didn't want to see. He had figured it all out just by smelling me; quite a talent, even for a shifter. I glared at him and he laughed.

The firefighter and five other shifters gathered around me – each one big, male and muscular – and I 'heard' that they were all members of the same local Were pack. They were about to go in to tend to the vampires as they woke, i.e. make them drink bottled blood instead of looking for human donors, but they wanted to get my advice first. I told them where to find all the vamps, but I wasn't sure they'd get to all of them in time. I also told them where the last two trapped humans were, and told them to keep the waking vampires away from them. The last thing those people needed was to be drained. I reminded them that vampires can wake before sunset, especially older ones, and they headed in, each carrying a whole carton of True Blood.

As soon as the sun slipped below the horizon, the building's vampire residents started emerging from the rubble. The Weres had reached most of them before they got out and force-fed them enough blood to keep them civil. Only two were gripped by bloodlust when they emerged, and four of the Weres guided them to the bottled stuff.

While everyone else was ogling the emerging vampires and watching how their injuries healed as they drank their bottled blood, I slipped back to the alley I had teleported into. I was utterly exhausted, but I still had to get myself home. I concentrated hard, drew the energy I needed from the sky, and _'pop!'_ I was back in my living room.

Quinn was sitting on the couch and looked up from his book when I appeared.

"You look worn out, babe," he greeted me.

"Thanks, you're too kind," I said sarcastically. "I know you've eaten already, but we've gotta go to Merlotte's."

"Why? You're totally exhausted. You can barely stand up."

"I know, but I need lots of witnesses so I can convince the FBI it wasn't me."

He looked horrified. "Why would the FBI come after you? What did you do?"

"I helped find the survivors. They sent someone to recruit me after Rhodes and I bet after this, they'll send them again."

Relief flooded his mind. "Alibi it is. I'll even eat a second dinner, just to make it convincing."

"Thanks Quinn, you're the best," I smiled.

"I know," he joked.

"Is Amelia OK?" I asked, remembering the state she was in after I rummaged through her mind earlier that day.

"She's fine. She had a headache for an hour or so, but she was happy to help you. Should I ask her to come to dinner with us?"

"Only if she's not busy. If she's studying magic again, leave her to it."

"I think she is. So I guess it's just the two of us," he grinned broadly.

"Quinn..." I groaned.

"I know, you still love Eric the cheating asshole. It's only a date in my mind." He winked at me to show he was joking.

I laughed at him.

"Can you do the fairy poof thing, babe? You're dressed for a disaster movie, not a date."

"I'll try. I'm really tired, though."

I pulled all the cash I was carrying out of my pockets; I had learned the hard way that things I left there when I magicked my outfit out of existence were gone for good. After losing two sets of housekeys in a week, I was much more careful now. I tucked the money Quinn loaned me into his pocket before he could stop me and put Amelia's money aside to give to her later.

I concentrated hard, then clicked my fingers. It worked. I was dressed in a pink sundress, a darker pink cardigan and ballet flats. All the bomb site grime was gone and I smelled clean and fresh. My hair was perfectly blown out, with just the right amount of curl in the ends, and my makeup was subtle and pretty. I looked like I had spent the whole afternoon getting ready for my 'date'. I went into the bathroom for a squirt of perfume and I was ready to go.

"Wow," Quinn breathed. "You look amazing. I'm going to neaten up a little. I'll be with you in five."

"I'll have a cup of coffee to keep me awake for dinner while I'm waiting."

I drank three cups of coffee in the ten minutes it took Quinn to get changed, and almost felt alive again by the time he was ready.


	25. The date

My breath caught in my throat when Quinn walked into the kitchen.

He was wearing dark blue jeans with a very dark purple shirt that set off his purple eyes perfectly and made his olive skin look deliciously brown, the color of French toast. The outfit was finished off with black shoes and a black belt with a large buckle that highlighted the size of the bulge directly beneath it. The whole outfit hugged his body perfectly, and I was reminded how spectacular he looked without clothes.

I scolded myself for even thinking about Quinn naked and reminded myself that even if Eric and I were over, I wasn't over him yet.

Then I thought about how I spent my afternoon, helping rescue crews find the survivors of the Fellowship's latest bombing. I saw some truly awful things, and it was worth it to help save so many lives, but I knew that images from today would haunt my dreams for months. Did I deserve to relax at the end of a day like that with a man who loves me? I really liked to think I had earned at least a little happiness, and a 'date' with Quinn would definitely make me happy.

I was really going out to dinner with Quinn to give myself an alibi of sorts. If the FBI came to recruit me again, half the town would know I had been on a date at Merlotte's the night of the bombing, so it was impossible that I had been in Seattle that afternoon. If he wanted to think of it as a real date... _Well, it's not like anyone else wants to take me on a date_, I thought.

I looked him up and down again, smiling broadly. "You look great," I told him honestly.

"I'm glad you like it," he said, doing a little twirl for me. He was surprisingly graceful for such a mountain of muscle.

I laughed and copied his twirl, showing off my dress.

"You look incredible," he purred. "You're by far the tastiest thing in this kitchen."

I laughed again and picked up my purse. "C'mon, let's go find something you're allowed to eat."

He laughed with me as he took my arm and guided me through the house, out the front door and towards his truck. He paused in my Gran's flower garden to pick a single perfect stem of white freesias. The delicate flowers looked tiny in his huge hand.

"For you," he said as he leaned down and threaded the stem through two buttonholes on my cardigan. They looked perfect.

I dipped my head to smell their lovely fragrance, then stared up at him with a huge smile on my face. "Thank you."

I felt like a woman on a date. With a very handsome man. A man who loves her, wants to be with her and tells her so, often.

He took my arm again as we walked to his truck, then held the door for me while I got in. The coffee I just drank was taking effect and I felt energetic and lively again. I knew I'd feel even more exhausted later, but for now, I felt good. As we drove to Merlotte's to have a late dinner, we chatted about our day.

"So, you teleported all the way to Seattle?" he asked, tactfully bringing up the least traumatic part of the day's events.

"I teleported between here and Los Angeles three times, then from LA to Seattle, then from Seattle back here."

"That's really impressive. It's the furthest you've ever gone, right?"

"Yes. The furthest I'd teleported before today was to Red Ditch and back." Then I realized what else I had to do tonight. "Speaking of Red Ditch, I should pop over to check on Hunter after dinner. I really hope I have the energy to get over to see him."

"Don't get too worried about it. If you can't get to him, he knows exactly why, and he'll call you if he needs you."

"True. I never thought of it like that before. I guess if anyone would understand, he would. He's an incredible kid."

"He is. I don't think it's occurred to him that he could use his talents for personal gain, to get toys or whatever else he wants."

I shook my head. "I don't think he gets much time to think about toys. He likes to practice moving them around telekinetically, but he only does that while his Dad's asleep, now. Mostly, he has to think about things like how the changes people make because he sees their future will actually effect the future. Whether we can screw up the future, that kind of thing. It's heavy enough for us to think about, but he's not yet five years old."

"Man, that's a lot for a pre-schooler to deal with. Was it as bad for you, growing up telepathic?"

"I didn't have to think about anything quite that big, but I can't say it was fun. I always knew more about adult things than any kid would want. I was lucky that my Gran raised me, so at least I didn't have to deal with mental images of my parents having sex."

We had just parked in Merlotte's parking lot. Quinn was out of his seat and around opening the door for me before I could reach for it myself. He moved very fast when he knew that only Amelia and I were watching - almost as fast as a vampire.

"Babe, you're the only person I know who could find something positive about being orphaned as a kid," he chuckled.

"Is that a bad thing?" I was taken aback by his comment; I didn't think being orphaned was good at all, I just tried not to wallow in self-pity.

"Not at all, it's adorable. I love that you always find something to be happy and grateful for, it's a great way to be."

He put his arm around me and we walked into the bar together. As soon as we were in the door, a cacophony of thoughts crashed into me; thoughts about Crazy Sookie being out on a date with yet another man; whether this one was human; how good-looking Quinn is; how long it would take me to scare him away with my craziness; what a great rack I have, even if I am insane... I pulled my shields up around me and immediately felt relief that I didn't hear the buzz of everyone's thoughts any more.

I waved to Sam as Quinn and I found a booth and he came to see us right away.

"It's wonderful to see you," Sam said as we hugged hello. "Hey, Quinn."

"Hey Sam," Quinn smiled back.

"I'll come talk to you when rush hour at the bar dies down some," Sam excused himself.

Holly came over to say hi and take our orders. Quinn and I both ordered burger baskets; chicken for me, beef for him. He was drinking beer, and I went for my usual gin and tonic.

We chatted comfortably right through dinner, covering a whole range of topics. We talked for a while about James' progress around the house and what he still had to do. Then we discussed the movies we'd watched together. After that, we somehow ended up talking about our favorite childhood games, and tried to guess which ones Hunter would like. He even asked whether I thought the dark purple of his shirt was a good color on him. I agreed wholeheartedly that it was and he smiled.

I was happy and laughing, although the day's events occupied part of my mind and I still felt numb about them. Quinn was easy company though, and I felt much more relaxed than I thought I could be after finding mangled people in a bomb site all afternoon.

By the time we finished dinner, I'd had three gin and tonics and I was a little drunk.

"Do you think Amelia will get together with James soon?" I asked him.

"I'd say yes, but Tray's only been gone a month or so. Do you think she'd move on so quickly?"

"Amelia?" I asked. "Heck yeah. She doesn't have to be in love with someone to have sex with them. I don't know how that works but she seems to be happy, so good luck to her."

He gave me a funny look. "You know you basically just said you loved everyone you've ever slept with?"

I blushed bright red and tried to think of something else to talk about so I could change the subject. Luckily, Sam came to speak to me then. He slid into the booth beside me and spoke very quietly, as though he didn't want anyone to overhear.

"I saw the funniest thing on TV," Sam practically whispered. "Two people showed up at that bombing in Seattle and led rescuers straight to the survivors. They said these people saved the lives of at least 50 people and they want to give them a reward, maybe even a medal, so they're circulating their pictures. You know, the woman's a dead ringer for you, Sook."

"Well, it can't be me, can it?" I winked. "I'm here in Bon Temps, nowhere near Seattle. A whole bar full of people saw me out on a date tonight, and my roommate and house guest will both tell you I was here all day. Won't you?" I looked at Quinn.

"Of course, you were home all day hanging out with Amelia and I." Quinn winked at Sam too.

"Well, now we've established that," Sam continued, "How are things going for you? Any news to share?"

"I have so much news, Sam, I wouldn't know where to start," I answered him honestly. We hadn't had a long talk for a few weeks, and a lot had happened in that time. "Come over to my place when you've got some time and I'll fill you in. But be prepared for it to take a while."

He got the hint that I wasn't discussing anything in a bar full of people and simply said, "I'll do that."

He slid out of our booth and went back to the bar, still looking curious. Holly brought us the check. I reached for it, but Quinn's hand got there first. _Darn Supes and their super-speed_, I thought, glaring at him.

"You know, babe," he chuckled, "if you want this to look like a real date, you have to let me get that without arguing."

I tried to be annoyed, but in the end I just laughed. "Fine, you win."

"Good," he said as he put down a credit card.

Holly collected it and brought back a slip to sign almost immediately. The dinner rush was over, so she wasn't as busy now. We chatted briefly while Quinn signed the slip and handed it back to her.

He put his arm around me again as we walked out to the car park, then leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Will you still let me believe this is a date when I try for a goodnight kiss?"

I elbowed him in the ribs and laughed, but the way he said it made me ache for him. I wasn't feeling numb any more. After three gin and tonics and a date with a handsome man, I was feeling just one thing: horny. We drove home in silence, and I tried not to think about what he looked like naked. I mostly failed.

For a few moments, I thought of Eric and wished that he was here to make love to me, to help me forget the traumatic day I just had. I probed our bond, trying to pull him to me so I could feel him on the other end of it again. I felt nothing. He was completely gone, and my drunken mind told me it was time to accept that and enjoy what I did have. _Love the one you're with_, I thought.

When we got to my front porch, Quinn moved in for a goodnight kiss, and I didn't stop him.

He took my face in his hands and touched his lips to mine tenderly. I leaned into the kiss, pressing against his mouth. He hesitated for a second, as though he was deciding whether to do this, before he parted my lips with his tongue and began kissing me passionately. I felt how much he wanted me and moaned a little. That spurred him on, and moments later our tongues were dueling. I wrapped my arms around him to pull him closer.

His hands moved down from my face, over my shoulders, along the small of my back. He rested them on my hips and his fingers were so long that they covered most of my butt, which he soon began massaging enthusiastically. He pulled me closer to him and I felt him harden against my stomach. Then I ground against him and a long, low growl escaped his throat. Something snapped in me, and I felt overwhelmed by a desperate need to have him, right now.

I moved my arms around his neck and pulled myself up, closer, so I could kiss him harder. We were attacking each other's mouths ferociously, kissing and nipping in equal measure. When I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth and bit down on it, almost drawing blood, he spun us both around and slammed my back against the wall of the porch. I moaned loudly and arched against him. He responded by grinding against my belly even harder. His body pressed me firmly against the wall and it felt wonderful.

He held me there for a few minutes, just kissing and rubbing against me, as though waiting for permission to take things further. When I took one of his hands and moved it from my hip to my breast, he pulled back to stared into my eyes. He was looking for something in my face and I couldn't tell what. I sighed and let my shields down completely for a second, to find out what he was feeling. Lust, of course, and... uncertainty. He didn't know if I wanted this. I leaned forward to kiss him, and moaned "please" into his mouth.

With that, he was moving at a pace I couldn't match. We were inside the house and in my bedroom before I even realized we weren't on the porch any more. I was lying on my back on my bed, and he was pulling my panties off. He hesitated again, waiting for me. "Please," I moaned again, wanting his fingers inside me, right now. Or even better, his tongue. I shivered in anticipation.

I pulled him down towards me and kissed him hard as I unbuttoned his shirt, running my hands all over his beautiful, smooth chest. He sighed, and without warning, he was all the way inside me. A loud groan escaped my lips, but it wasn't entirely a groan of pleasure. I wanted this, but it was too soon. I was suddenly thinking of a comment Eric made: that being relaxed and wet enough was the most important thing in the world. I was neither, and the tightness and friction were too much.

I was about to slow him down, but the look on his face stopped me. He was in heaven. I let my shields down and a wave of intense emotion washed over me: lust was secondary to love, joy and feeling perfectly at home with me. I couldn't take that away from him, so I let him keep going. I could tell he wouldn't last long, and it wasn't intolerably bad, just a bit uncomfortable. I pulled him closer to me, so his face was buried in my shoulder and he couldn't see the expression on my face.

Just then, a paralyzing wave of anger washed over me. _Oh great_, I thought, _Eric would pick _this _moment to open the bond again_. I was hurting, a little ashamed of what I was doing, and now Eric was mad at me, too. What a mess. I felt humiliated to be caught out like this. Pain, shame and humiliation... the last time I felt that particular combination of emotions, I was locked in a car boot in Jackson. My thoughts were moving in some very dark directions, and I struggled to keep the memories from flooding my mind. I was about to panic and that terrified me.

Then he shifted a little, and everything changed. I wave of lust ran through me, so strong it replaced everything else. I moaned again, but this time, it was from desire. I wriggled until I got the angle I wanted, and it started to feel really good. Images began flashing through my mind, recalling every wonderful thing Eric had ever done to my body, and how I reacted each time. I was soon soaking wet, and slamming my hips against his to increase the stimulation.

My pleasure built quickly, and the images flicking through my mind got hotter and hotter. I remembered all the orgasms I had with Eric, the way my body quaked and my face contorted as I reached peak after peak. I'd never really imagined what I looked like when I came before, but I suddenly had a clear mental picture and it seemed like the sexiest thing I had ever seen.

Incoherent noises escaped my throat and as I got closer and closer, the images in my mind were increasingly intense. I could feel that he was close too, just seconds away from coming inside me. My body recalled Eric sliding all the way into my ass for the first and only time, and the memory was so tinged with love that I was overwhelmed. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled through me, and with my orgasm came uncontrollable blood lust. I needed to taste him, to strengthen our bond by taking a little more of him into me. I pushed his shirt off his shoulder. "Eric," I moaned softly as I bit down, tearing his flesh the way he liked.

A second later, I knew what I had done. The blood wasn't sweet and cool, it was gamey and hot. _Oh no_, I thought. Quinn was already gone, my bathroom door slammed shut behind him.

I had just screwed up everything. Eric had opened our bond back up and felt me with Quinn; and I had moaned Eric's name with Quinn inside me. Now they would both hate me, and I deserved that.

I sat up, pulled my panties back up and my dress back down, put my head in my hands, and cried.


	26. Forgiveness

Quinn came out of my bathroom 15 minutes later, fully dressed again. I lifted my head out of my hands to look at him, and his red-rimmed eyes told me he had been crying just as hard as I was.

"I'm so sorry," my voice cracked.

He walked towards me and for a second I thought the would hit me or strangle me. Part of me wanted him to; I deserved it. Saying someone else's name during sex is about the worst thing you can do, isn't it?

But he didn't hurt me. He sat down on the floor right next to me, resting his head on my knee. I ran my hand all over his scalp, enjoying the smoothness of his skin, and cried some more.

"I'm so sorry." My voice broke as I said it again.

"It's OK," he rasped, "I get it. He's spent a thousand years fucking everything that moves and he's better in bed than I am. Plus I haven't done this for a really long time and I'm way out of practice, so I wasn't exactly at my best. I know that."

I stared at him in astonishment. "Why? You must've had plenty of offers. I mean, look at you."

"A few. But since I fell in love with you... well, I tried to move on after we split up, but nobody else feels right to me any more. Besides, casual sex hasn't held much interest for me for a long time; I find it much more enjoyable if I actually trust the person I'm with. I'm not good at trusting random strangers, I've seen too much of the bad side of people."

I nodded; I knew that feeling. Then I realized, I must've just added to his mistrust of people. I lifted his chin and made him look me in the eye; I could feel that he wasn't angry with me, just sad and disappointed with himself, but I still had to look at his face to confirm what his thoughts told me.

"You don't hate me?" I sputtered. His face and his feelings both said 'no'. "Surely what I just did makes you trust people even less? You're not even mad at me. You should hate me. Why aren't you angry?"

He sighed and looked at me, and even though he was fully dressed, he was completely naked.

"I knew what this was," he told me in absolute honesty. "You've had a traumatic day and you wanted someone to make you feel better. It's normal: life-or-death situations make people horny, they want to feel something life-affirming to balance things out. Battlefield lust, it's sometimes called. I knew the state of mind you were in, and even though I want you to love me and make love to me, if that's not what you need, I'll be here for you in whatever way I can."

"Oh," was all I could say. He was right about why I did it. I felt calm and happy just to be near him; he understood me so well.

"I also know I was terrible tonight. Being near you every day, training and sparring with you... I was so desperate for this that I got carried away and rushed you. I realized you weren't enjoying it and I tried changing angles and then you seemed to like it more. I guess that's when you started thinking of him?"

I couldn't deny it, so I just nodded. "I did like the different angle more," I said meekly.

He smiled up at me. "Well, that's good to know. The other thing I need to know is, when you said 'please', what did you want?"

"Fingers." I blushed as I told him. "You're kind of big and it's just easier if... well, you know."

"Yeah, I should've figured that out." He was deeply ashamed of himself. "I can't believe I was so stupid, if I'd thought about it for two seconds I would've realized that was what you needed. So I missed out on doing one of my absolute favorite things, just so I could rush you and hurt you instead. God I'm an idiot!"

I rubbed his smooth scalp some more. "Don't feel bad about it. I should've said something."

"Why didn't you?" He looked up at me quizzically. "I would've stopped if you asked me to. Even if I was seconds away from finishing, if you told me to stop, I would have. Or even if you pushed me away a bit, or just let me see that you weren't enjoying it... I wouldn't have kept going if I had any clue that you didn't want this." He was really bothered by what had happened, and I caught him thinking that it was practically his worst nightmare, to have sex with a woman who didn't want to have sex with him.

"I know," I reassured him. "I didn't want you to stop. I felt how much you were enjoying it, and I couldn't take that away from you."

"You let me hurt you because I was enjoying it?" He shook his head. "Please, if you ever decide to sleep with me again, promise me you won't do that? Never again, OK?"

"I promise," I agreed. Part of me was very pleased that he was talking about being with me again.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but... did you do this to get revenge on Eric for sending those girl's to Merlotte's?"

"No!" I was about to start ranting, but he cut me off.

"Sorry. I didn't think that's what it was or I wouldn't have done this, it's just so soon and... I had to ask to be sure, you know?"

"It's OK. You had a right to ask, after what I did."

"So... not over him after all, huh?" he tried to sound light-hearted and joking, but I could feel how much it stung him to say it.

"I should be," I admonished myself.

"Give yourself time. The thing with those girls only happened a week ago. That's not long."

"No, but I knew we didn't have a future together long before that. Before he closed the bond, even."

"Why not? You keep saying that you love him. If you love him, then why wouldn't you try to work something out?"

I looked at him for a long moment, wondering whether I should tell him. I suddenly felt that I should.

"He doesn't love me," I said softly.

"He said he didn't love you?"

"No, I... I said I loved him and..." my voice cracked and I couldn't go on.

"He didn't say it back. I'm so sorry. I know how much that hurts."

He got up off the floor and sat next to me. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his warm body.

Then I realized what he just said. I stared up at him. "I'm so sorry, I just -"

"I didn't mean it like that. I don't expect you to say it back, I screwed everything up between us. You won't love me again for a long time, if you ever do. I just say it so you know."

I looked at him again, wondering what to say. I had an overwhelming desire to tell him how I felt about him, and I gave in to it.

"Quinn, I do love you. It's just, I love you this much," I held my hands a few inches apart, "and I love Eric this much," I moved my hands a couple of feet apart.

His smile lit up his whole face. "That's the best news I've heard in... well, ever." He kissed my cheek. "So there's a little corner of your heart with my name on it. I can work with that." He hugged me tightly.

"You know I'm still in -"

"Yes, yes, you love the bloodsucker more. Got it," he grinned.

"You're suddenly in a really good mood."

"Hey, the love of my life just told me she loves me too. Only a tiny bit, but still, you love me. Happiest day of my life." His huge grin and the joy he was radiating both said he was telling the truth.

It was the one thing I wanted most: someone who loves me. I could be happy with this man. We could be together, in the daytime as well as the night. I could marry him and have his children, liked I'd always dreamed of doing one day. For absolutely no good reason, I burst into tears.

I could feel how puzzled he was by my sudden crying jag, but he held me and stroked my hair.

"What's wrong, babe?" he murmured.

"This is exactly what I want. I want to be with someone who loves me, who has time for me, and who respects me. That's the whole lot, that's everything I want," I cried.

A deep laugh rumbled around his chest and I looked up at him in surprise.

"That's your whole list?" he chortled. "That's the entire checklist of what you want? You don't have any other criteria _at all_?"

"I can't be with humans because hearing their thoughts all the time puts me off," I admitted. "And I don't like the Were thing of having children with lots of different women so much, either, but maybe I shouldn't be so narrow-minded about that."

He looked astonished. "Wow, you set your sights so low. Most women have a list a mile long. A man has to be tall, handsome, fit, kind, good in bed, have a sense of humor, a good job, a nice place, a great car, plenty of hair, like kids and animals, treat waiters well, plus dozens of things besides... and all you ask is love, attention and respect?"

"It's what's important to me. Besides, a girl like me can't be too picky," I shrugged.

"What do you mean, a girl like you?" he asked incredulously. "You're a fairy princess, men should worship you. Is that why you put up with being just a meal and a fuck to someone who doesn't love you? You told me he's never taken you on a date, and Amelia said you can't have a conversation without yelling. You're always crying over him. I don't get why you'd put up with all that."

"You forgot the part about threatening to kill me and tricking me into some vampire marriage thing," I added sardonically.

He shook his head. "If he doesn't love you, does he at least spend time with you and treat you with respect? I mean, when he's not threatening you or tricking you? Do you get any of the things you want in a relationship from him?"

I sighed. "Not really. Being Sheriff is Eric's priority so he disappears for months at a time without so much as a text message, then expects me to drop everything when I'm needed for official vampire business. He does come by to have sex with me occasionally and he's always been there to save my life, well, except with the fairies. But no, spending time with me isn't something he cares about. As for respect... we made a deal that I'd learn to treat him respectfully according to vampire customs, at least in front of other vamps, if he learned enough human customs to treat me with respect. He is trying, but fundamentally, I'm a member of an inferior species. I don't think he'll ever forget that."

"No offense, but he sounds completely wrong for you. How did you fall in love with him at all?"

"A curse, basically."

"You're cursed to love him?"

"No, he pissed off some witches and they cursed him. He turned up here with amnesia and a heart, and I got tasked with hiding him until Pam could break the curse. He was so different then. I was all he had and that made me important to him." I was crying softly again. "I fell in love with him and it was perfect. We were so happy together that he didn't want the curse to be lifted. But I couldn't let him stay like that, it wasn't right. So the curse was broken and he forgot the whole time we were together and went right back to being an asshole. He remembered eventually and now he comes by for sex sometimes... it's all I have left of him."

He nodded in perfect understanding. "You love him enough to accept whatever he has to give you and not demand more."

I stared at him wide-eyed. "I treat you just as badly as he treats me, don't I?"

He looked at me like I had just grown two heads. "No, you don't. You've never threatened to kill me or tricked me into marrying you, babe," he winked. "Though if you want to trick me into marrying you, I honestly wouldn't mind," he added wistfully. "Seriously though, I deserve this. I messed everything up and I lost you. I promised to make time to be with you so you slept with me, and then I just disappeared. I thought I had good reasons, but it still must've hurt. I betrayed you and the people you care about to help my family, and then I gave _you_ shit about being too hard on _me_ and ended up injuring you.

"I only realized recently how bad it must've looked to you. When I told Frannie why we split up, she called me a moron and said I deserved to be dumped, among other things. She said any male who makes a promise to get a woman into bed and doesn't keep that promise is an asshole. She's right, so now I'm trying to make it up to you."

"I was harder on you than anyone else," I started crying again. "You never raped me or threatened to kill me, and you didn't date me on anyone's orders or trick me into marrying you. I should be grateful that one decent person wants me, but I wanted so much more from you... I had all these stupid fantasies about having a real relationship and sharing my life with you, having all that couple stuff I'll never have. I was such a moron, even wanting that." I kept sobbing.

Quinn held me tightly while I cried, but I could feel his anger rolling off him. I realized he hadn't heard most of what I said; that he was completely fixated on the first part. _Men,_ I thought. Finally, curiosity got the better of him and he asked.

"Who raped you, Sookie? I assume it wasn't Eric because you're still sleeping with him, or were pretty recently. So it was Bill? That's why you won't get back together with him?"

I nodded my head against his chest. I didn't want to talk about it but he was getting angrier by the second.

I pulled away from him to explain. "It wasn't really his fault. He was starving and he'd been tortured for weeks, so he was completely out of his mind. Debbie Pelt locked me in the trunk of a car with him and when he woke up with a human throat within reach..." I couldn't say it. "You know how vampires are with feeding and sex. He stopped when he realized it was me."

"Did that make it any easier for you to cope with it?"

I sighed. "I don't know. Maybe. No. Not really, I guess."

"And it was Bill who dated you because someone ordered him to?"

"And Alcide, but at least I knew about that. Bill was sent here by Sophie-Anne to seduce me, she wanted a telepath for her retinue. He was my first but to him, I was just as assignment. He only told me because Eric found out and insisted he tell me the truth."

"What a bunch of morons," Quinn shook his head. "If you were mine, I'd treat you so much better than anyone else has. Wouldn't exactly be difficult. The rest of what you said... I wanted all that too. I still do, even though I have no right any more. I know nothing I say will prove it, but if you ever take me back, I will show you. I love you, I'd do anything to make you happy."

There was fire in his eyes as he picked up my hand and kissed the palm of it tenderly, gazing at me. It lit a spark in me that hadn't been there for a long time. I looked into his beautiful purple eyes and felt hope; he stared back at me like he could find everything he ever wanted in my eyes. We simply looked at one another as minute after minute passed by. He was waiting for me, giving me time to figure out what I wanted. I was conflicted at first, but little by little, all my objections melted away. I knew that he loved me, that he could be with me in the daytime, that he could give me the kind of relationship I had always wanted. I realized that having him around was good for me, and I could be happy with him. That made my decision. I took his face in my hands and pulled him towards me. When our lips touched, I felt a spark between us; something that hadn't been there before.

We kissed softly for a few minutes, our lips moving against each other so gently we were barely touching. It was enough. Then it wasn't, and I ran my tongue along his lips as we kissed some more. He pulled me down onto the bed and we lay facing one another, making love tenderly with only our mouths. The tip of his tongue touched the tip of mine and we both shivered. We were affecting one another differently than we ever had before, and it felt magical.

I wanted to kiss him all night, but the day's fatigue was overtaking me. I pulled back to yawn, and he smiled at me lovingly.

"I have to sleep. I'm sorry," I apologized.

"You've had a big day. Would you like someone to hold you all night?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, please," I grinned.

I got up and pulled a pink cotton nightdress from my drawers and put it on the edge of my bed. I pulled the squashed flower from my buttonhole and slid my cardigan off. When I reached around for the zipper on my dress, a large pair of hands was already there to help me. I smiled over my shoulder at him as I slipped the dress off. He sat down on the edge of my bed, watching me. I unclipped my bra and dropped it with my dress, then reached for my nightdress. It wasn't where I'd left it.

Quinn held my nightdress out to me. He made a show of arranging it so I could slide my arms straight into the armholes, but I knew it was all a ploy to get me to turn around so he could see me, naked but for my panties. I laughed; it was a great ploy. I walked over to him and slowly slid one arm into the waiting nightdress, then the other. I lifted both arms to slide it over my head, and felt a whisper-soft kiss on each nipple while the nightdress covered my face. When I pulled my head through and looked at him, he was trying to look completely innocent, sitting on my bed with a huge bulge in his jeans. I laughed again.

For the briefest moment, I could see how we would look together, and had an odd feeling we were being watched. I reached out mentally and felt two empty spaces in my yard: one on the far side of the house, where James said he'd be mending a fallen-down fence tonight, and another in the woods closest my window. So we did have company. I knew Bill came by to check on me every night, so of course he would be out there now. _Stuff him,_ I thought. _Serves a peeping Tom right to see something he doesn't like._

I sat down next to Quinn and he pulled off his shoes and socks, then unbuttoned his shirt. As he slid it off his beautifully rounded shoulders, I gasped. There was a really nasty bite mark right where his shoulder met his neck. I had torn the skin badly and my teeth marks were still clearly visible, even though the bite was half-healed already.

"I'm so sorry," I gasped, gently touching the wound.

He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry about it, it'll be healed by morning. Besides, weren't you just following the custom of leaving your bite mark on someone to tell the world they're yours?" He batted his eyelashes at me and I laughed. "I'm almost disappointed I'll only be marked as yours for one night."

He kissed me tenderly for a few moments to prove how much he didn't mind, and his kiss made my temperature rise.

Then he stood up and dropped his pants, and my brain didn't form any more coherent thoughts. My eyes traced every bulging muscle on his huge frame, starting at his seriously cut calves and ending at the globes of muscle that are his shoulders. The web of faint scars that covered his entire body made him even more beautiful to me. My gaze lingered on his navy blue boxer-briefs, which stuck out a long way at the front. I stared for way longer than I meant to, and he smiled broadly.

"Bedtime, babe?" he chuckled and I just nodded, a silly grin plastered on my face.

We turned out the lights and crawled into bed. He spooned me from behind, curling his huge body around me. His arms wrapped me in a loose embrace and his lips brushed my ear. It was wonderful to lie in the arms of someone who loved me after a stressful day, and I sighed contentedly as I wriggled to get comfortable. Each time I shifted, he hardened against me, and I enjoyed the feeling too much to sleep. I was exhausted, but I was also aware of every contour of his body, pressed against my back. Yum.

Finally, sleep claimed me and I drifted into a series of dreams about his hot body and all the things I wanted to do to him.

* * *

_Author's note: Who's lurking outside? See companion piece, "Her Other Lover."_


	27. Magic

I woke with Quinn's warm body still wrapped around mine. He was spooned against my back with his arms around me and his hands gently cupping my breasts. I had had a series of erotic dreams during the night, mostly starring the beautiful man beside me, and I was very horny.

His breathing was deep and regular, and his mind was still and quiet; he seemed to be fast asleep. I wriggled in his arms and he hardened against my backside, but the rhythm of his breath and the stillness of his mind didn't change. When I wriggled, my breasts moved in his hands and my nipples rubbed against his palms, which made me even hornier. I really needed an orgasm and I knew I could give myself one quickly; he was asleep so he would never even know. I slid my hand down into my panties, moistened my fingers against my wet opening, then started tracing circles around my clit. I stayed perfectly still so I wouldn't wake him, and somehow that made it even more exciting.

A few minutes passed and I was close to coming. I was breathing deeply, filling my chest with air so my breasts pressed into his hands, then letting it all out again. It was as much as I dared move, lest I wake him and he catch me pleasuring myself. I knew he wouldn't mind, but as much as I wanted to have sex with him, I did still love Eric more. Having feelings for both of them confused me and I still wasn't certain what I should do about it... although I was definitely warming to the idea of a living lover.

His hands stirred a little, brushing my nipples, and I froze, thinking he was about to wake. But his breathing stayed steady and even, his mind stayed quiet, and he didn't move at all, except for the hand movements that were barely more than a twitch. I concluded he was moving his hands in his sleep and kept touching myself, keeping everything but my hand completely still. Very slowly, his hand movements increased from a twitch to a slight rubbing and his mind started humming with lust, so I suspected he had woken.

"Quinn, are you awake?" I asked quietly.

"No," he replied, bringing his thumbs to my nipples and rubbing them back and forth. I gasped and arched against him. "Unless you want me to be?"

"Still deciding," I mumbled as his hands massaged my breasts.

There was some reason I shouldn't do this, but I couldn't remember what it was any more. It felt so right, the way he touched me. I desperately wanted him inside me, right now.

"Good?" he whispered in my ear.

"Really good," I purred. "There's some reason I shouldn't do this, but my brain won't tell me what it is."

I was grinding my ass against him and rubbing my finger back and forth quickly. He nibbled my ear and breathed into it softly.

"Babe, if you think you're going to regret this, I'll stop," he told me, but he was gently pinching my nipples while he said it, which just made me want more. "I'd love to make it up to you for last night though, and I remember exactly how much you love having your breasts touched... let me help you out a little?"

He made it sound like I'd be doing him an enormous favor by letting him help me to a spectacular climax, so he could remind me what a wonderful lover he can be. I gave him a tiny nod, barely daring to admit how much I wanted him.

He rolled onto his back, pulling me with him so I wound up lying on top of him with my back against his chest, my body stretched out over his. Then he went right back to rubbing my nipples, pinching them gently, and rolling them around with his fingers. My hand was still in my panties, but I slowed right down to savor what he was doing. I could feel every muscle and contour of him pressed against my back, but his hands were free to roam wherever they wanted. He was making the most of it. I ran my free hand up and down the side of his body, touching everything I could reach. He pulled my nightdress up so it was bunched above my breasts, and with a little wriggling, I managed to take it off entirely. I let him suck my moist fingers and taste me before I slid them back into my panties. He moaned his appreciation, remembering how much he loved to lick me.

"Show me what you like," he breathed into my ear.

He moved my free left hand to my left breast where he could watch me; my head was resting back to the right and he could see over my left shoulder. I started by showing him one of my favorites: I held my breast in my hand, then ran all my fingers up to the nipple as I moved my hand away. I held the nipple between all my fingers and pulled it slightly until it slipped from between them. He moved his right hand up to my right breast and copied me, then took over from my left hand as well.

"You like that?" he breathed in my ear.

"Yes," I gasped.

"Tell me? When I do something you like, say my name and tell me how it makes you feel. Please?" It was definitely more a plea than a command, there was so much need in his voice. I couldn't resist him when he sounded so hungry for me.

He kept trailing his fingers up to my nipples, holding and then releasing them, but he alternated with rubbing his thumbs all over the hard points. I did as he asked and told him how much I liked it, getting over my self-consciousness quickly.

"Oh, John... so good... feels amazing... oh, John... please... please... want you so bad."

"Tell me what you want, babe? I need to hear you say it," he asked in the same desperate tone.

I was rubbing myself faster and faster, getting ever closer to my release. He was still rubbing my nipples and I was grinding against him more desperately now. He was rock hard against my butt and that excited me even more.

"Oh, John... want you inside me... want you so much." I begged as he pinched my nipples, over and over. "Oh John... so good."

"God, please keep saying that. I need you to say my name, I need you to beg for me. I have to know you're certain this time. I love you too much to act like this is casual, I won't fuck you again until I'm sure that you need me. Please say it."

"John," I moaned, grinding my butt against his hardness, "please fuck me... please John."

"Oh babe, I love hearing you beg for me. Say my name enough and I'll give you all of me. Anything you want, anything at all."

"Please John," I begged. "So close... rougher John... please be rougher."

"Tell me what you want."

"Pinch... twist... pull... please John... please be rougher."

He was already obliging me, and every time he pinched, pulled or twisted my tender nipples I moaned "oh, John" in his ear.

My finger was moving over my clit at a furious pace and I was getting closer, closer, closer. A warmth spread through my belly, down my legs, up to my chest... all of a sudden, I was there, screaming "oooohhhh John" as I spasmed on top of him. He rubbed my nipples gently until I started coming down from my high, then he wrapped his arms around my body and held me as I basked in the most exquisite afterglow. I wasn't satisfied though; I found myself wanting him even more than I had beforehand, not less.

A few minutes later, I rolled over so I was still on top of him, but could now look him in the eye. Love and need were written all over his face, and whenever his eyes caressed my near-naked body, he seemed like a starving man at a banquet. He wanted me as no other man ever had; as though having me were vital to his survival; as though he could feast on me forever and never go hungry.

We kissed a few times while he ran his hands up and down my body, and it felt divine. That magical spark I had felt the night before was still there, getting stronger by the minute. Every time we touched it felt special somehow, and pressing my bare skin against his made me feel like I was finally home. I knew I had two choices here: either thank him and get out of bed, or stay and make him mine again. I lifted my head up and looked him in the eye.

"I really do want to fuck you," I told him. "I'm certain, I want you." I meant it on so many levels.

"And I really am going to wait until you've begged for me a whole lot more," he teased.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Certain."

"We'll see," I replied with a sly grin.

I was sure that with enough teasing, I could make him change his mind and give me exactly what I wanted. I rolled off him for a second to remove my panties, then pulled his underwear off too. He lifted his hips so I could. I swung a leg over to straddle him, then lowered myself and pinned his cock against his belly. I slid all over his hard length so he could feel how wet I was, and I caught him hoping it was him that made me feel like that this time. It was.

"Mmmmm," I moaned. "You're so hard... so big and so hard... yum... just what I want... please fuck me, John? Please?"

"I love hearing you beg," he purred. "Say my name and beg me enough, and I'll give you anything you want. Anything."

I rubbed my wetness along his whole length, again and again, as I kept talking dirty to him, making sure he knew how much I needed him.

"Oh John... so wet for you... want you inside me, John... please, please fuck me... got to have you... need you so much, John... please."

I was doing this to tease him, but it was getting me very excited too. I positioned myself so my clit was rubbing against the head of his cock. I rubbed back and forth, whimpering "oh John... so good" as my pleasure started building again.

I leaned forward to kiss him and he started playing with my breasts, which made me moan his name into his mouth over and over. "Oh John" I moaned as he rubbed his palms against my nipples, even more sensitive for being pinched and twisted before. "Oh John," I gasped as he held my breasts firmly and caught my nipples between his thumbs and the side of his fingers. Every time he did something I liked, I said his name, and he was clearly enjoying it. I could feel that he wanted to give in and fuck me, but he liked watching me enjoy myself too.

He pushed me back just far enough to break the kiss and looked me in the eyes.

"I love you Sookie, you're everything to me. Come for me, beautiful? Look at me while you come?"

That little spark between us was becoming a full-on electric current. I gasped and nodded, rubbing against him furiously.

"Love you too, John. Love you so... oooohhhh John" He bucked his hips wildly and I screamed as my body convulsed above him. I had tingles all over. I managed to keep my eyes open and look at him the whole time, although they went completely out of focus for a while. It was one of the best orgasms I'd ever had.

I collapsed on top of him and he held me tenderly, planting soft kisses on my ear and my neck. I rubbed myself against him as aftershocks coursed through my body. I felt wonderfully satisfied, but that didn't diminish my desire to have him inside me. I rolled us both over so he was on top of me, and he let me. I looked up into his beautiful eyes and stroked his face tenderly.

"Do you still want me, babe?" he asked softly, hoping that I did.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Please John, please fuck me. I need you so much. Please, give me all of you? You promised."

He kissed me passionately for a couple of minutes, letting me feel him at my entrance but not giving me what I wanted. I squirmed, trying to slide myself onto him, but he had me pinned well enough that I couldn't.

"Please, John... please... please fuck me... please John," I begged. "Please... I love you John, ple-"

He was suddenly most of the way inside me, and I didn't finish what I was saying. A cry of surprise, relief and delight escaped my lips instead, as I threw my head back in pleasure. I was crammed full of him, stretched just a little too far for comfort. Perfect.

"I love you too, love you so much, want you so much," he chanted, stroking my face. "God, babe, you're so amazing, so incredible."

The heat of him was as astonishing as it had been the very first time, and all I could do was cry "oh, oh, oh," over and over.

"Hot enough for you?" he asked happily.

I stared up at him wide-eyed, biting my lip and nodding in amazement. As he pushed a little deeper inside me, stretching me even further, my eyes rolled back in my head and I let out a long, low whine. My insides were already twitching, in anticipation of another truly magnificent climax.

He was overjoyed by my response._ Oh God, this is finally as amazing for her as it is for me_, he thought, his joy flooding through me. It was the first coherent thing I'd ever heard him think during sex, but before I could be distracted, he was back thinking_ yesyesyesyes pleasepleaseplease_ on a more-or-less continuous loop, occasionally adding _oh God_ or _so beautiful_ to his mantra as he pushed a tiny bit further into me.

He was all the way inside me now, but he wasn't moving. I writhed beneath him, trying to move myself up and down his length, but he just kept kissing me passionately. I squeezed around him, milking him hard, but he still didn't move.

"Please John, please fuck me," I whimpered into his mouth. "Please fuck me John, please. I lo-"

He clapped his hand over my mouth before I could finish and I stared up at him in surprise.

"When you say that, it makes me so happy that I lose control, and I really have to go find a condom before I do anything else."

I pouted, but I knew he was right. "Hurry up," I muttered.

He kissed me some more, then pulled back out of me quickly. I whimpered at my sudden emptiness. He found his jeans on the floor and retrieved his wallet, then pulled what he needed out of it. When he glanced up at me, I threw the bed covers off and wriggled my body around, running my hands all over myself. When I took hold of one of my breasts and pulled it upwards, then lowered my chin and flicked it with my tongue, his cock twitched in appreciation.

I licked my nipple again and moaned, "Please fuck me John, please."

His eyes were dark with desire, but he didn't move. "Babe, I would last about three seconds. Just seeing you like that..."

I wriggled over to where he stood beside the bed, then propped myself on my elbows and took him in my mouth. A growl rumbled around his chest. I could taste myself all over him, and I liked that way more than I ever thought I would.

_That thing you do with a ball of energy... _he projected into my mind.

I nodded. I reached my right hand out where he could see it and started shaping a ball of energy with it. I was sucking him and running my tongue all over his tip at the same time. I looked up at his face as I did it, and pure love stared back at me; his lust was secondary to his feelings for me, and I smiled around him.

When I was sure he was close, I dipped my fingers into the ball of energy I made, then brought my fingertips up to touch him. Barely making contact, I trailed my fingers over the underside of his cock, then down around his balls, ending just behind them. As soon as my fingers touched him, his hand fisted in my hair and he started screaming. About two seconds later, he was coming in my mouth, and surprisingly, I liked his taste. I gave him one last flick with my tongue and sucked gently until he was finished. He gave a final groan as my fingers reached the sensitive spot behind his balls and his legs buckled under him.

He fell to the floor panting, and I reached down to run my fingertips along his inner thigh. They still glowed with energy; it had taken very little to set him off when he was so close already. When I touched him, he yelled and arched his back, trembling as I sent wave after wave of pleasure through his body. I really liked having that particular fairy power, and he seemed to like it, too.

When his climax subsided, I slid off the bed and spread myself out on top of him where he lay on the floor. I kissed him slowly but intensely, letting him taste himself on my mouth. He wrapped his arms around me and purred with contentment, sounding exactly like a large, happy cat. I giggled a little, but kept kissing him. After a few minutes of kissing me while I rubbed my naked body against his, his cock was starting to stir again.

"Babe, you are so incredible," he murmured into my mouth.

"Do I get what I want now?" My voice was hoarse with desire.

He got up and lay me back down on the bed, then climbed on top of me. I spread my legs eagerly, looking forward to feeling him inside me. _At last_, I thought. I ran my hands all over his back, feeling his muscles ripple as he moved to kiss me, then slid them down to grope his ass. I loved the feel of his body pressing down on mine and his lips felt like heaven.

"Please John, please fuck me," I murmured into his mouth.

He pulled back to look me in the eye. "Anything for you, babe. Whatever you want, just ask and it's yours."

He ran one of his huge hands all over my body, shifting his weight to his other arm as he did. Then he gave me a wicked look.

"I'll just make sure you're ready first," he teased, as he slid a finger inside me.

"I'm ready... I'm so ready... John... please," I begged as he worked his finger in and out of me.

Then he added a second finger and I wasn't so keen to rush him any more. His fingers felt wonderful inside me, especially when he moved them apart to stretch me a little.

"You like this?" he prompted.

"Feels great, John... ooh... love what you do to me... oh John... more... please?" I gasped.

When I asked for more, he slid a third finger into me, stretching me open for him. His fingers were proportionate to the rest of his body, which is to say, large: both long and wide. He was moving them in circles around my opening as he moved them in and out of me, and even though I had already come twice, I suddenly felt like I could manage one more.

"Oh John... so great... feels so great," I moaned his name again and again.

I wanted him to do something different, but I wasn't sure how to explain it, so I decided to show him. I propped myself up on an elbow, kissing him again as I did. Then I reached down and took his wrist, turning it so his palm faced upwards. Sideways, his three fingers were a very tight fit, so I pulled his hand out. He looked at me for a second, trying to figure out what I wanted.

"Just two, please?" He obliged immediately. "Oh, John," I said again as my eyes rolled back in my head. "Press your fingers up -" I couldn't finish my sentence because I was moaning so loudly; the sensation was intense and wonderful.

"Say it," he commanded.

"Oh John... don't stop... feels so good... love you, John... love you so much," I moaned.

He kissed me again, then started moving down my body, kissing and nibbling as he went. His fingers kept moving inside me as his mouth explored my neck and collarbones. When he got to my breasts he lingered for a while, sucking and gently biting my nipples. I moaned his name over and over as he did. I could feel another orgasm building, despite all the pleasure he'd already given me. It was a wonderful surprise. As he moved down my body to my belly button, I started playing with my own breasts.

When he finally made it down to my clit, I was almost at my peak. His tongue snaked in between my wet lips and I arched my back towards him. He pressed his tongue flat against me and licked up and down for a few moments, letting the whole tender area feel the prickliness of it. His tongue wasn't velvety-soft like a human tongue; it was much more feline. He sucked my clit into his mouth and within a few seconds, I was there, screaming his name as I bucked against his face, drowning in a sea of dazzling pleasure.

I slumped back, completely spent. After planting a soft kiss amongst the curls just above my sex, he sat up and looked at me as he sucked my juices from his hand. I loved watching him do that. I sat up to kiss him, wanting to taste myself on his mouth. We locked lips for a few minutes, feeling the spark that was growing between us. I wasn't sure what it was, but I felt a little burst of energy every time I touched him. I thought it was lust before, but we just had five orgasms between us, and the spark hadn't diminished at all; if anything, it was more intense.

"You feel that?" I asked him. "The spark?"

He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, making them tingle. "You mean this?" he asked.

I nodded. "What is it?"

"Feels like fairy magic to me. I thought you were doing it?"

"If I am, I don't mean to. Sorry."

"Babe, it's wonderful. Don't apologize."

We kissed some more, enjoying the electricity flowing between us. When I took his cock in my hand and gripped him tightly, he reached over for the condom he had found earlier.

"Ready, babe?" he asked cheekily.

"Three times over." I tried to sound cranky, but I couldn't honestly say I minded his teasing. He had certainly made sure I was ready for him this time, and that the only name I would scream was his. It was the best 'punishment' ever.

As soon as he finished rolling the condom on, I straddled him and slid him all the way inside me, delighting once more in the heat of him. I had been looking forward to this for so long, but it was even better than I hoped. The electricity between us was so intense with him inside me; I'd never felt anything like it. I threw my head back and moaned his name.

I took his face in my hands and he settled his enormous hands on my back, holding me firmly but gently. He was kneeling on the bed and I was sitting on his lap, facing him. We moved slowly and tenderly, staring into each other's eyes and holding our bodies close together. We were both mostly sated, so we weren't pounding one another lustily now. This was lovemaking, pure and simple: two people bringing one another pleasure, just to see the enjoyment on one another's faces.

As we moved together, the electricity between us kept growing, sending sparks flying up my spine. I let my mental shields down and felt waves of love flowing into me. I felt the same way towards him. Our lips met tenderly and our eyes bored into one another. Something was happening that I didn't understand; there was something so powerful between us that it felt like we were melting together somehow, joining into something bigger than either of us.

"I love you, Sookie," he whispered.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

A few seconds later, the energy between us overflowed. My whole body was conducting an electric current that went around in a pulsing loop between him and I. My head spun and I clung to him as though he were life itself. The pleasure was incredible, but there was more to it than that; it was almost as though my fairy magic and his shifter magic had merged for a while. It took quite a few minutes to subside, and when it did, we looked at each other in amazement.

"Wow," I breathed. "Have you ever felt anything like that before?"

"Never," he responded. "You?"

I shook my head. "That was incredible. What was it?"

He thought about it, then smiled at me. "Magic."

I smiled and agreed.


	28. Sunshine

I had never started the day with fantastic sex before - or any sex for that matter; dating vampires meant waking alone each morning - but I quickly realized it was something I wanted to do again. Hopefully every day.

I was sitting at the kitchen table with Quinn and Amelia, eating toast and juice for breakfast. Quinn and I couldn't stop smiling at one another; we were holding hands under the table and he kept projecting really sweet thoughts to me.

_I can't wait to get you alone again, so I can kiss that spot behind your ear some more,_ he told me.

I giggled and leaned towards him, smoothing my hair back from my ear to expose my neck. He planted a soft, lingering kiss there and I sighed. It was only fifteen minutes since he last touched me, other than holding my hand under the table, but that felt like far too long. It was by far the longest we'd managed to keep our hands off one another since we got out of bed; we'd even showered together so we wouldn't be apart. I was ridiculously happy, and I wanted to tell him yet again.

"I love you," I whispered as quietly as I could, so Amelia wouldn't hear. She was rolling her eyes at us. Again.

_I love you too,_ he replied. _I'm so happy to be with you again._

"Likewise," I whispered, giving him a big, goofy grin.

Amelia sighed loudly. "Guys, I'm real happy you're back together and all, but if you keep that up, I'm gonna barf. Please, just stop it for a few minutes? Let me finish my breakfast and I'll leave you to it. I can't see you concentrating on training today."

"Probably not," I admitted sheepishly. "Although I am looking forward to sparring later."

"Me too," Quinn grinned back at me. "Should I be concerned that I really enjoy fighting my girlfriend?"

"Oh, so I'm your girlfriend again, am I?" I teased.

A flicker of worry passed across his face, and I heard in his thoughts that he was terrified of losing me again. He was convinced that it was just a matter of time; that the blood bond with Eric would always be stronger than my feelings for him. I felt bad for teasing him, but before I could apologize, he decided to do what he often did in difficult situations: use humor to diffuse the tension. He made a big show of sliding out his chair, getting down on one knee in front of me and taking my hand.

"Sookie Stackhouse, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked solemnly.

I tried to reply but my voice choked up with emotion, so I nodded enthusiastically and kissed him with all I had, instead.

"I know there's gonna be drama and trouble when the big leech comes back," he added more seriously, "and if you have to go back to him, I'll understand; blood bond and all. I just want to be with you again, for however long we have."

"I'm pretty sure I'm a free agent," I shrugged. "Besides, I see some definite advantages to being with a man who's awake in the daytime."

"Yes, I heard." Amelia sounded annoyed and I heard in her thoughts that we'd been way too loud for her liking. She'd been completely celibate since Tray died - a really long time for her - and lack of sex made her cranky.

"Sorry," I apologized, not managing to sound contrite at all.

"I hope not," Quinn teased, then planted another fantastic kiss on me before he got up and sat in his chair again.

"OK, I'm not really sorry at all," I admitted. "C'mon Amelia, I'm 27 and I just had morning sex for the very first time and it's the best thing ever," I burbled along excitedly. "Even waking up in someone's arms is new to me. And I'm in love with someone who actually loves me back for the first time and I'm just so happy."

Amelia smiled then. "I forget what a sheltered life you've had, sometimes. You've missed out on so many things, not being able to date humans. I guess I can't begrudge my best friend finally trying things everyone else has been doing since they were fifteen."

"Thanks," I smiled at her gratefully.

"You're still sickening though, both of you. I think I'll finish my breakfast upstairs." She stomped off then, but she was smiling as she did.

As soon as her door closed, Quinn and I were kissing again. I was so giddy and happy, I felt like I was high... not that I'd ever actually been high, but I'd felt what it was like in other people's thoughts.

"So, what would you like to do with your morning off?" Quinn asked in his huskiest, most seductive voice. He was hoping I wanted to go right back to bed.

I kissed him again, lingering on his lips while I thought about what I'd like to do. Mostly, I just wanted to jump him again, but it seemed too soon for that. I was a lady, after all. _Surely I can wait until tonight_, I told myself. _Or lunch time, at least._

It was a glorious day outside, and seeing the bright sunshine stream in through the windows, I felt drawn to the fairy meadow. As soon as I thought about taking him out there with me, my fairy instincts told me it was the right thing to do.

"Let's go for a walk," I suggested, hoping he would like the idea.

"Sounds good," he grinned, hoping he would get to make love to me out in the sunshine. "Where did you want to go?"

"Out into the woods. There's a spot out there I'd like to show you."

His eyes widened. "You're taking me to the fairy meadow?"

I nodded. "Feels like the right thing to do." Then I thought of something else. "Although if we're going for a walk, I'd really like to go past my Gran's grave too, if that's OK? She's in the cemetery next door and I haven't been to see her for a while." I teared up just thinking about her, I missed her so much.

"You're taking me to meet your family?" he breathed, hugging me tightly. "Wow, I'm so honored. Would you like me to pack a picnic, so we can sit out in the meadow for a while? Amelia told me it's really special and beautiful. Like you," he added cheekily.

"Sure," I agreed. I couldn't help but smile.

We made some sandwiches and put them in his backpack, along with a couple of apples, a big bottle of sweet tea and some cookies Amelia made a couple of days beforehand. It was a mile to the meadow and half a mile in the other direction to Gran's grave. Between the three mile walk and the energetic sex I had that morning, I figured a cookie or two wouldn't hurt my figure.

I put on sturdy shoes and told Amelia where we were going, then Quinn and I headed out. We walked hand in hand, enjoying the perfect spring day in silence. The sun warmed my skin, and the slight cool breeze was like a soft caress. It was glorious outdoors that morning, but I could feel how nervous he was. He felt as though he really was meeting my family, not just visiting a tombstone and a meadow. Apart from Hunter and Jason, it was the closest to family that I had now, and he knew it.

On some level, that was exactly what I was doing. When Gran was still alive, if anyone was courting me (which they nobody ever did, at least not for real) I would've had them pick me up from home, so she could meet them and tell me what she thought of them. Her approval would've meant a great deal to me, but she was gone, so I had to make those decisions by myself now. Deep down, I knew Quinn was good for me, so I decided to trust that instinct.

"There's nothing to worry about," I reassured him. "My Gran would've loved you. If she were alive, she'd be naming her great-grandkids the second she met you."

"I hope so," he smiled broadly for a moment, before his thoughts clouded with worry again. "I feel like I'm going to say something stupid though, I just don't know what to say to a headstone."

"You don't have to say anything. Just because I talk out loud to her grave, doesn't mean you have to. I'm Crazy Sookie, remember? Probably best not to do anything I do."

"Too late, I've been talking to my Dad's headstone for years," he admitted breezily, then immediately started back-pedalling. "Please don't tell anyone, I've always felt like a nutcase for talking to him. I don't expect an answer or anything, it's just the only way I can speak to him and I really miss him sometimes. I can't believe I just told you that, I've never told anyone."

"I won't say anything. It's completely normal, though. I've heard people think about going to a loved one's grave so they can talk to that person again plenty of times. Or to some place that was special to them, if their grave's too far away."

"That's a relief."

"And really, don't worry about Gran. Just say whatever comes to mind, or say hi and leave it at that, or whatever works for you."

"I can do that," he agreed, looking less worried.

We walked in silence again until we got to Gran's grave. When we got there, Quinn pulled a small, slightly bruised bunch of flowers from his backpack. I recognized them all from Gran's garden and realized he had sneaked around picking them while I put shoes on. I was so touched by the simple gesture that tears welled up in my eyes. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as I started talking.

"I miss you, Gran," I said aloud, touching her headstone lightly. "This is Quinn, we're dating again now. I wish you could've met him, I think you'd really like him."

It felt oddly right to be there. I hoped that wherever she was now, Gran could see that I finally had someone who really loved me in my life. She had always wanted that for me.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Stackhouse," Quinn started hesitantly. "I really like your granddaughter. Well, I love her actually. I have for a long time, but I made some mistakes and had to earn her forgiveness before she'd be with me again." He started to relax, talking more fluidly. "I won't hurt her again, I was so miserable when I lost her that I just want to make her happy now. I would've really liked to meet you, Sookie's told me so many lovely things about you."

Tears rolled down my face as I listened to him, but he brushed them away and licked them from his fingertips. It was a gesture I found oddly comforting now, which probably meant I'd been around Supes too long.

When he was done, I told Gran about everything that was going on in my life. I hadn't been here to talk to her since the Fairy War, so I told her about Lochlan and Neave, sobbing as I did. Quinn just held me, comforting me silently. I told her about the nightmares I had afterwards, and how they'd mostly stopped now. I told her she was right that things happened for a reason, and that God didn't send us anything we couldn't handle – two things she used to say a lot. I told her that being tortured made me re-think my life, and the changes I was making already seemed to be working out. I told her I was happier than I'd been for a long time.

I told her about Hunter, about the horrible things his father was doing to him, and how I was trying to find a way to get him out of there. I told her I wasn't sure I was ready to look after a child yet, but Hunter needed me, so I'd do my best to care for him. I told her about the money Niall left me, which would make it possible for me to care for Hunter if he came to live with me, and how I was able to fix up the house with it as well. I told her how lovely everything looked, because James was here helping me. I told her about the extra vampire hidey holes he was building, but also that I wasn't sure they'd ever be used, at least not by Eric.

I told Gran that Eric was gone, that he had his flunkies tell me to move on with my life, so I was. I told her I wasn't sad about it any more; that I was so happy with Quinn that it didn't really matter that I loved Eric more. He kissed me softly on the top of my head when I said that, but didn't interrupt. I told her about my training, that I was learning how to defend myself so I could stop anyone who tried to hurt me again. Quinn added that I was a fast learner and told her how skilled I was becoming. I smiled and told Gran it was actually fun to play-fight and I hoped that was all I ever had to do, but doubted I'd be that lucky.

After I'd said everything I needed to, I dried my eyes and said goodbye to Gran again. Quinn said goodbye too, and promised to take good care of me. I couldn't help but smile; un-PC as it was, I really did want a man to look after me sometimes.

I showed him around the rest of the Stackhouse plot then: my parents, my aunt Linda, the man I thought was my grandfather and many other close relatives were all buried there. I'd even had a small plaque commemorating Hadley added a while ago.

Then we headed into the woods, back past the house and along the overgrown path to the fairy meadow. We both felt lighter after talking to Gran; as though we'd been able to leave some of our worries with her. We still walked hand in hand but the mood was very different now; we chatted happily and laughed a lot. We spent most of the walk discussing the unrealistic fight scenes in movies we had watched together, which culminated in us doing funny re-enactments of the silliest ones. The _Mission: Impossible_ movies gave us the most fodder, although the _Rush Hour_ series had plenty for us to parody as well.

I found myself laughing a lot with Quinn; he could see the absurdity of so any things, but he always pointed them out in a good-tempered and humorous way. He was easy to be around, which was refreshing. Vampires were never easy company.

When we arrived at the fairy meadow, Quinn let out a long, low whistle.

"Wow," he breathed. "Amelia told me this place was special, but it's even more beautiful than she said. I guess you can feel the magic here even more than I can."

I nodded.

We strolled around the meadow for a long time, showing one another all the different wildflowers that were in bloom. Spring was by far the prettiest season here, and it was especially lovely this year. We picked a spot where the grass and wildflowers were short to spread out our picnic rug and sit down for lunch. As we ate, I told him everything I knew about the meadow, which admittedly wasn't a lot. He listened intently, asking the occasional question.

"So there's a portal between worlds here," he eventually concluded.

"I think so," I agreed, "but if there was, Niall closed it when he left." I felt sad to have lost yet another family member.

Quinn put his arm around me and pulled me back onto the picnic rug, so we were lying side by side with my head resting on his arm. We stared at the sky, watching the clouds drift overhead, for a long time. I was so happy I felt like I would burst. The simple pleasure of lying beside a man I loved, enjoying the warm spring day in companionable silence, was just wonderful to me. I knew I could be so happy with Quinn. I knew he was a better partner for me than Eric could ever be.

But thinking of Eric made me sad; I loved him so much I would gladly give up all the happiness I had with Quinn to be miserable with him. Then I realized how silly that would be, choosing someone who didn't want me when someone who adored me was right here, offering himself to me. I had chosen things that made me unhappy too many times before, and it was time I stopped.

I rolled over and kissed Quinn, pouring all my feelings into it. I wanted him to know how much I loved him, and I was pretty sure he did. We shared a series of long, unhurried kisses, enjoying the feel of one another far too much to rush into anything else.

I realized I would be crazy to let go of this wonderful, sexy man again, even if I did love Eric more. Loving Eric had never felt right like this; it was difficult and complex with him, never easy and joyful. Even when he was cursed, we were always hesitant, setting such strict boundaries with one another that we were barely able to connect at all. Loving Eric had never been good for me; he didn't love me back and that tipped the scales permanently out of balance.

But I didn't need to think about Eric now; he wouldn't be back for months, so I had time to enjoy my new love and see where it led before I had to make my decision. By then, I might not miss him at all.

* * *

_Author's note: I've had a lot of requests for something from Eric's point-of-view, to show what he's up to while this story takes place. I've written a couple of short pieces, but I only have time to edit & post one chapter a day atm, and I'm not sure I should interrupt the flow of this story to post them right away. (There's seven chapters to go here, and something big is about to happen...)_

_So, I'm asking for votes: would you rather I interrupt this story to post the EPOV pieces? Or finish this, then post them while I finish the next sequel and wrap this whole thing up? ;)  
_


	29. Essence

_Author's note: Voting was pretty even so I'm going to finish this story first, because it's easier for me to keep everything straight in my head that way. To the eight people who are itching to read the EPOV pieces, it'll be about a week 'til I'm done here and have time to post them. Sorry about that!  
_

* * *

Quinn and I lay side by side on a picnic rug in my fairy meadow, kissing as the bright midday sunshine beat down on us. I felt happier than I had for a long time. It was wonderful to have a man who was truly mine, finally. Quinn wasn't out fucking other women every night, and he would never make me wait in the next room while he fed on someone else. I hadn't realized how much those things hurt me until I was with someone who didn't cause me that pain. I snuggled in closer to him.

"I love you," I sighed. "I'm really happy to be with you again."

"I love you too," he smiled, "and likewise."

I was grinning like an idiot, but so was he.

We kissed again, the minutes ticking by unnoticed as we fixated on one another and the tingly sensations that shocked us wherever we touched. I was giddy with joy and I wanted to make love to him again, right there in the sunshine.

After many long, passionate kisses I noticed that he was holding me oddly. His chest was pressed against mine and our legs tangled, but he was carefully keeping his groin a couple of inches away from me. I rocked my hips forward to make contact, but he moved back just in time. I realized what he was doing and smiled against his mouth. I put a hand on his hip and held him still so I could grind against him. He was every bit as hard as I had hoped. Yum.

He stopped me immediately though, his fingers digging into my hip to keep me still. "Babe, if you do that..."

"You'll fuck me senseless?" I asked sweetly. I was feeling really brazen after this morning's activities.

His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. "I was ready to do that half an hour ago, just cuddling you makes me crazy."

"You poor thing, you must be so uncomfortable." I feigned sympathy, but felt glee. "Here, let me make it better."

I started rubbing him through his jeans, even though I knew that would make his discomfort worse, not better. He made a loud, pained groan as I did. I watched his face carefully, reveling in his reactions as his brows knit and his features contorted. I undid his button and zipper, then stroked him again through the thin fabric of his underwear. He was rock hard in my hand, and his whole body jerked in response to my touch. A big drop of moisture had soaked into the front of his pants.

"You know, I was going to play it cool and sunbathe in my underwear for a while, so I could act all innocent when you jumped me," I murmured, still stroking him. "But my hand has a mind of its own. Such a pity."

"Well, I wouldn't want to interrupt your sunbathing." He winked, then rolled me onto my back and started pushing my top up.

"You want me to lie out here in the sun, almost naked?" I teased, as I sat up and pulled my t-shirt over my head.

"God, yes."

He rained a trail of kisses all over my newly exposed skin, working quickly from my belly button to my neck. When he made it back to my mouth, his kiss left me breathless and dizzy.

"It would be such a shame for you to get tan lines though." He undid my bra as he said it, then slid it off my shoulders so he could stare at my breasts, biting his lip hungrily.

"I'll only sunbathe naked if you will," I retorted in a pretend huff, crossing my arms in front of my newly-exposed chest.

He grinned at me, then used his Supe speed to stand and strip off all his clothes in under three seconds.

"Better?" he teased, poking my arm playfully with his cock as he knelt back down beside me.

My mouth hung open as my eyes roamed up and down his beautiful body.

"God, I want you," I mumbled hoarsely, before I even knew my lips were moving.

My gaze kept being drawn back, irresistibly, to his cock. As I stared at him, he took it in his hand and started stroking himself. I was transfixed. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen; the sexiest, most intimate thing. I whimpered as I watched him.

"Do you like watching me, babe?"

All I could do was nod enthusiastically, my eyes never leaving his hand as he pumped himself faster. The way he did it looked so rough, and I was mentally recording what he did so I could do the same. Just thinking of touching him, a loud whine escaped my throat. I was desperate for him, I wanted him buried all the way inside me right now, but I was so absorbed in watching him that I couldn't move. It was a delicious agony.

"Makes me so wet," I finally managed to answer him, barely able to form the words.

His eyes went completely dark with lust. "Oh God," he gasped. "Show me what I do to you? Please?"

I was apprehensive, but the though of him coming while he stared at my naked body and touched himself really turned me on.

I fumbled with my shoelaces, unable to pull my eyes away from the delicious drop of moisture at his tip. I wanted my clothes to just disappear, to be gone without me having to move or look away from him. Then I remembered that I could do that. I forced my eyes closed for a second so I could concentrate, then clicked my fingers. My clothes reappeared in a folded pile beside me.

Completely naked now, I leaned back and moved my legs a little way apart, to show him how my body responded to him. His eyes roamed all over me, as though he couldn't decide what part he liked most, while his hand moved faster and faster along his cock.

"You're so beautiful," he panted, leaning over to kiss me for a moment. "So wet, so open, so perfect..."

I glanced down to see what he meant, but unlike his straining, throbbing erection, my body's arousal was almost too subtle to notice. Other than the small puddle of moisture, the only change I could see was a slight swelling and spreading, showing just a little more of the parts so well hidden. Maybe the flesh was also a darker pink than usual, but I couldn't tell.

I felt so relaxed around him that I did the most wanton thing I ever had: I reached down and spread my outer lips apart, showing him exactly how aroused I was. Then I sunk two fingers inside and fucked myself for a few seconds, before I pulled them out again so he could see how wet they were. His hand moved even faster as he watched me, moaning loudly.

I held my fingers up in front of him, waving them near his nose so he could smell my arousal. A low growl rumbled around in his belly as he caught my fingers with his mouth and sucked them clean. The feeling tingled through my entire body, and suddenly I really needed to come, too. I pulled my fingers from his mouth and began rubbing my clit, sprawled out in front of him with my legs open. My other hand found my breasts and I started playing with them, letting him watch me arouse myself.

"God, that's the hottest thing I've ever seen," he rasped, kissing me again before he sat back to watch me some more.

His hand moved faster and rougher, telling me he was close. The sight of him pleasuring himself so flagrantly was turning me on like crazy. Out here in the sunshine, in this beautiful meadow surrounded by the woods, it seemed so natural to watch him like this. It felt almost innocent to put on a show for one another like this, as though it were unquestionably right to let each other know exactly what we liked. I moved to give him a better view and he was suddenly right on edge, going to come any second. Then he stopped abruptly, panting and staring at me.

"What's wrong?" My confusion was evident in my voice. Why on earth did he stop? I wanted so much to watch him.

"There's something I want to do, and I swear I don't mean it disrespectfully, quite the opposite really, but if you'll feel like I'm disrespecting you if I do this, then I won't," he rambled nervously. "Or even if you just don't like it or-"

I was pretty sure I knew what he wanted to do, so I interrupted. "If you want to come all over me, my answer is 'yes please'."

He gasped and his cock twitched as I said it, then gave me a huge, delighted smile. He started stroking himself again immediately, and his body went rigid as he clawed his way to his peak. I felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to taste him, so I sat up and licked the drop of moisture that so fascinated me from his tip. When I touched him, he screamed my name and came instantly. The first few drops hit my tongue, but I lay back so he could come all over my body as well, leaving his mark on my lips, chin, neck, sternum, breasts and belly. I moaned as his essence rained all over me. When I had seen this in other people's heads, it had always seemed gross, but right now it felt tender and intimate. I wasn't sure why, but I wanted the evidence of his pleasure all over my body.

He slumped back onto his haunches, completely spent. His eyes closed for a few moments, and I slowed my hands until he was ready to watch me again. When his eyes opened and he saw me touching myself in front of him, covered in his come, a heartbreakingly tender look fixed on his face.

"Oh, look at you," he whispered. "So beautiful..."

He crawled over my body to kiss me, soft and lingering now, and I had to give him a little push with my hand to make him sit up and watch me again; he would happily have kissed me sweetly for the whole rest of the day. Once he was staring at me, I smiled up at him and writhed around, showing off my curves. He looked like he could barely contain his joy. I stroked myself more obviously, turning my small movements into larger ones so he could better see what I did.

"Please, don't change this for me," he begged, "just do whatever works for you. Show me what you like, please?"

I was surprised he realized why I changed what I was doing, and pleased that he cared so much about my enjoyment. I switched back to the small, subtle movements I liked best and he stared at my hand, studying what I did.

I took his hand and directed it to a drop of thick, milky liquid that had landed right between my breasts. "Rub it in?" I pleaded.

He started massaging his fluids into my skin, just as I asked him to. Seeing his juices all over my body, I desperately wanted to do the same to him, so he smelled as much like me as I did of him.

"Mmmmm, you're gonna be covered in my scent," he grinned as he massaged my left breast. "Every Supe for miles will smell me all over you. God, that's hot."

"I want that," I smiled, then continued nervously, "and I want you to smell like me, too." I felt how much he loved that idea before I even finished speaking.

"Yes, please," he purred. He picked me up effortlessly, shifting from his knees onto his back as he did. He set me down on top of him, straddling his chest. "Rub your scent all over me, so everyone knows I'm yours. Please, babe?"

I ground against his hard muscles as I kept on touching myself, and he massaged the last of his come into my skin. It felt amazing. I couldn't believe how much this turned me on, how much I wanted us both to smell like one another. I realized I wanted it for exactly the reason he said, so every Supe around would know we're together, but it meant more than that, too. I wasn't sure exactly what yet, and I was far too turned on to care.

"Oh, John," I moaned. "I'm so close..."

"Come for me, beautiful," he begged, biting hard on his lip. "You smell so good, I can't wait to taste you."

My breath caught in my throat as he projected an image to me. In his fantasy, I stared into his eyes as I lowered my clit to his mouth, brazenly pressing my most private, tender parts against his face. I liked the idea almost as much as he did and wriggled forward without thinking, but stopped just short of obliging him. I was too shy to go any further. His hands started guiding me then, first pushing my butt forward so he could see me, then pushing my knees further apart so I was even closer to him. He stopped when he had me half an inch from his mouth and teased me, snaking his tongue towards me but stopping just before it got there.

His eyes swept all over me, and I knew he could see everything from my knees to my face, including right between my legs. I felt utterly wanton. I had never opened myself like this to anyone before, never offered my body up so wholly for inspection. I was embarrassed at first, but very quickly, my lust took over. It was a huge turn on, letting him watch me like this. When I couldn't take the teasing any more, I lowered myself that last half inch, finally making contact with his mouth. My whole body shuddered as he sucked the tiny pearl of flesh into his mouth, stroking it all over with his tongue and making me moan loudly.

I immediately felt myself edging towards a wonderful orgasm, a mellower and more intense pleasure than the ones I had that morning.

As he slowly drove me wild with his mouth, he held my butt firmly to keep me upright, squeezing and kneading as he did. His touch made me tingle all over, and as that tingle became more intense, my moans turned to desperate whimpers. Then he did something different to my clit, something I had never felt before... something that took me to that perfect edge, right between pleasure and pain, pushing me right to my limits. A wave of delight ripped through my body, shaking me to my very core.

I was lost to the world as my body trembled above him, and I didn't realize how loud I was screaming until I stopped. My ears were ringing, but I was happy, relaxed and very, very satisfied.


	30. Beautiful

I slumped over as my orgasm subsided, sitting down heavily on Quinn's chest while my body flopped forward over his face. I was still and wordless, panting to catch my breath after showing him my body so wantonly it made me blush to think of it.

He stroked my back while I recovered, caressing my skin tenderly. It surprised me that he loved me even more for the unladylike things I did with him, for the way my sexual boundaries kept shifting and expanding every time we were together.

I started giggling then, not for any particular reason, but because my brain was so awash in happy hormones that I had to do _something_. I couldn't believe my luck that he had come back to me, that the world had left us alone long enough to rekindle what we had. It almost seemed too good to be true, that I could love someone and have them love me even more in return, but for once my telepathy was a boon. Any time I read his emotions, the same one came through: he really, truly loved me. I felt the same way.

I knew deep in my heart that I still loved Eric more, but curled up on top of Quinn, that seemed utterly irrelevant.

I slowly rearranged my floppy limbs, sliding down his body until I was spread out all over him again and his arms were wrapped around me. He held me so tenderly that his love for me was almost palpable, and I sighed contentedly, drifting into a short nap.

A few minutes later I woke and kissed him again. His arms held me to him as tightly as he could without restricting my breathing, and I could feel that he never wanted to let me go. I wriggled around, rubbing my breasts against his chest to arouse my nipples again. I conquered his mouth with my tongue, telling him he was mine, and I felt his body responding to me.

As he hardened once more, I brought my legs together on top of his, trapping his cock between them. I squeezed my thighs closed tightly, and he moaned as he thrust between them. I matched his rhythm, fucking his mouth with my tongue. Then he slid me down his body, far enough that the next time he thrust he was rubbing my sex. The feeling turned me on all over again.

"Please," I whimpered. "Please fuck me."

He stared up at me in astonishment. "Are you sure? Can you really do this again?"

"Sure," I smiled. Then I realized how demanding I was being. "Sorry, I'm too greedy," I chastised myself, sliding off him.

"No, you're not," he insisted, rolling to face me. "Did some idiot vampire tell you that?"

"Never in so many words," I sighed. "But I really don't want to talk about ex-boyfriends. I'm with you now."

"Exactly," he grinned. "You're with me, and I don't think you're too greedy at all. I love that you want me so much and I'll make love to you whenever you want. Anything you want, anywhere, any time..."

"Really?" I wasn't sure I believed him. "Are you sure you mean that?"

"Positive. I like practically everything. I'm only fussy about who I'm with, but as long as I'm with you, I like the whole lot."

"Wow," I whispered, "There's literally nothing you won't do?"

I suddenly knew why sex with him was always so interesting. It made me feel very naive, that I hadn't realized a man who didn't sleep around could still be so experienced, so creative, so toe-curlingly brilliant in bed. He didn't have the practiced polish of Eric, but his enthusiasm and creativity more than made up for that; he wasn't jaded and edgy like the Viking. Then I felt bad about making comparisons between them and stopped myself before I could make any more.

"My boundaries are set pretty far out," he answered matter-of-factly. "I can count the things I won't do on one hand and have fingers to spare. And since all those things are illegal, immoral or really unhygienic, I'm pretty sure they're beyond your limits, too. Speaking of, is there anything you know you really don't like?"

It was the one question I didn't want him to ask; the one that would end our blissful honeymoon period. I was sure that once I told him how limited his sex life with me would be, he would insist we be non-exclusive. I hadn't been enough for either of my two previous lovers, and I figured I probably wouldn't be enough for Quinn, either.

"There's a few things," I admitted uncomfortably. "A lot of things, actually."

"What sort of things? I really need to know what you don't want me to do."

I took a deep breath and steeled my nerves, staring over his shoulder into space. Better get this over with.

"I don't want to be tied up or held down or hurt at all, not even spanked," I blurted out, "and please don't ever pretend to force me. I know lots of people like to role-play things like that, I see it in their heads all the time, but I just couldn't deal with it."

"OK."

I wasn't sure what to make of his response; it was too brief to tell me much. I could feel that he wasn't upset, but I was still worried. "I know it sucks for you, all the restrictions... I'll try to get over that stuff, it will take a while, bu-"

"Babe, it's fine," he cut me off. "I honestly don't mind. I don't want to do anything you don't enjoy. Why would you even think that?"

"Well... if you're with me, it would mean a lot if you're only with me. For sex, I mean."

"Done," he answered instantly.

"Even though there's so much I won't do?"

"Of course. It's no sacrifice, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything with you. I don't want to hurt you. I don't need to tie you up or hold you down, I actually prefer it when you're in control. Spanking I can live without, and as for pretending to force you... only an insensitive clod would try that after what you've been through. Besides, it's not like I _can_ do that, even if you asked me; my body just won't respond to an unwilling woman, even if I know she's pretending. If you say 'no' or 'stop', I physically can't go on."

"I know," I smiled. "I like that about you."

He did a double take. "How did you know? Did I mention it some time?"

"Yeah, before Rhodes. Remember that time my hair got caught under your hand? When you put your weight on it, I said 'ouch' and you couldn't go on. You explained it when I got upset because I thought you'd lost interest in me." It had happened one of the two or three times we slept together when we were dating before, and I recalled it clearly. "I didn't know about your past back then, but once I found out about your Mom, I completely understood why you could never force someone."

"I forgot about that," he blushed. "For some reason, when I replayed the times when we were together back then in my mind, I managed to leave that part out. I'm sorry I disappointed you then, I -"

"You didn't," I insisted. "Once I understood why you couldn't go on, it was fine. I like that you could never force anyone. And you didn't disappoint me at all, as I recall, you did other things instead. Very enjoyable things," I grinned at the memory.

"Mmmm, I remember that part," he purred, nuzzling my hair. "I could do that again, if you want? Any time, babe. Now even..."

"Uh-uh," I scolded. "That's not what I want right now. This is what I want." I wrapped my hand around his cock and pulled him towards me, my voice coming out as a low, desperate growl. My brazen mood was back with a vengeance. "I want you inside me. I want you to rub yourself all over me and fuck my mouth with your tongue until I'm dripping wet, and then I want you to slide into me a little at a time, so I beg for every inch of you. You said you'd give me anything I want, and I want your cock. Now."

He was on top of me before I finished speaking, rubbing his body all over mine, just like I wanted. I was delighted.

"God, I love you," he panted in my ear. "That sweet, innocent-looking mouth of yours... the things you say with it... the things you do with it... the way you pout when I tease you, as though waiting five minutes is the most disappointing thing ever. You're so hot, babe, I love it when you tell me what you want."

Then he claimed my mouth thoroughly, rough and tender at the same time. His tongue probed me deeply, exploring his territory. I moaned loudly, digging my fingernails into his back and ass so I could feel his muscles ripple when he moved. He was rubbing his cock against my leg, letting me feel what I did to him. I was desperate to have him inside me, but there was something I needed to ask him first; something I wouldn't just assume. I pushed his face back so I could look him in the eye.

"You like it when I'm rough, don't you?"

"God, yes," he moaned. He propped himself up on his elbows above me and caught his breath, looking serious. "It's more a need than a like, actually. I'm part-tiger so being scratched and bitten feels completely natural to me. It can even feel really tender and loving sometimes, being marked like that. Please, don't hold back if you feel like being rough. My pain threshold's way higher than a human's, you can attack me all you like and it won't hurt me. I won't do it back unless you ask me to."

"I'm glad you told me that," I grinned, raking my fingernails down his back almost hard enough to draw blood.

He growled in response, his whole body vibrating on top of me. I raised my head and bit his nipple. He kept growling.

"Perfect," he whispered, staring at me as I scratched him again.

"Is there anything else I should know? Anything else you want me to do?"

I kept scratching his back, only easing off a little while he tried to answer me. His voice came out in desperate little gasps.

"Don't just be rough," he panted. "Be aggressive... Please... hold me down... take whatever you want... use me any way you like... I'm yours... Please... show me you to want me... as much as I want you... "

The last part sounded so raw, so full of emotion that it tugged at my heart.

"I really hope you've got a condom." I stared up into his eyes, panting for breath.

He shook the lust from his face, then slid back off me. "God, I hope so too."

He found his pants and pulled out his wallet, then fumbled with all the little pockets inside it, growing increasingly frustrated.

I stared at him, drooling a little. He was so beautiful, this huge, intense, muscle-bound man. My eyes traced the patterns the fine, pale scars made all over his body. As the sun darkened his skin the scars became more pronounced, more interesting. I reached out to trace the most noticeable marks on his thigh, and he stopped fumbling with his wallet to look at me.

"What are you thinking, babe?" he asked nervously. "It was a long time ago, that's not my life now..."

"Beautiful," I murmured. "The scars just make your body more beautiful. I kinda like them, even though I hate how you got them."

He crawled back over and kissed me tenderly. His mouth told a story of love and loss, regret and absolution, passion and devotion. All I could do was hope he knew that I felt the same; I was too lost in his kiss to attempt anything as profane as stringing words together. When he sat back on his haunches, his eyes were big purple pools of love.

"I feel the same about you. I find you even more beautiful now than I did before. I don't like that they hurt you, but seeing how strong you are, how you turned such a horrible thing into something positive... you're incredible, babe. Just amazing."

"Thank you," I whispered with tears in my eyes.

"Nothing to thank me for, I'm lucky to have you. Besides, we have something else in common now."

He held his arm next to mine and compared scars. He had two or three times as many as I did, but they were older and fainter than mine, so the overall effect was similar. I remembered all the things he said and did for me over the last few weeks; how he knew exactly what I needed when nobody else did. This was why; he had been there himself.

"You've helped me so much," I whispered. "Dealing with all this, I mean. You were here for me when I needed you. Thank you."

"I'll always be here for you," he promised. "Even if Eric comes back, even if you choose him and not me, I'll still be here for you."

"Why?" I asked curiously. "If I let you go again, you don't owe me anything."

"It's not about owing you, I just want to be near you. I love you, I don't think I could walk away from you again."

"I don't think I could either," I admitted, my voice barely more than a whisper.

He was stunned. "Really? What does that mean? I know we're together until Eric wants you back, but then..."

"I don't know," I stared at my hands. "I hope he doesn't come back, then I don't have to choose. He told me to move on with my life, and I have. I don't know what I'd do if he came back. It would hurt so much to lose you, I don't know if I could stand it."

"Wow," he breathed. "You want to keep me?"

"Always," I agreed, and while I tried to sound casual, my voice gave away how deeply I meant it.


	31. Mine

Quinn and I were kissing so deeply it felt like we were making love already, out in the sunshine in my fairy meadow. I'd had sex outdoors before, but always at night, and I'd always been mostly clothed. There was something very different about doing it during the day - especially because we were both completely naked. It was probably the most unladylike thing I'd ever done, but it also felt completely natural, like we were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, long before humans decided sex was sinful.

After many unhurried, passionate kisses, he finally remembered what I asked for a few minutes ago. He started fucking my mouth with his tongue and I relaxed completely, swept away in a sea of love and desire.

"Please," I begged.

He was giving me exactly what I wanted, rubbing his body all over mine while he kissed me deeply. I could hear myself moaning loudly, and even though I sounded like an animal in heat, I didn't care a bit. Just when I was beginning to wonder if he'd forgotten the rest of what I asked for, his hand slid between my legs.

"Mmmm, you're so wet," he sighed into my mouth as his fingers traced my opening, checking I was ready. I was so, so ready.

He rubbed the tip of his cock all over my entrance, making me moan and squirm beneath him. I ached for him; it was almost painful to be so aroused and not have him inside me. I dug my nails into his ass, trying to push him into me.

"Say my name? Please, tell me you need me?" He sounded as desperate as I felt.

"John," I whimpered. "Please, please make love to me? Need you inside me, right now. Fuck me, my tiger. Please."

I found it incredibly arousing, saying such lewd and lusty things to him – and not just because he loved hearing them. There was something inherently hot about giving voice to the most intimate of wishes, about sharing all those (OK, slightly corny) ideas that crowd a lust-addled brain.

"Your tiger," he repeated, staring at me in wide-eyed delight. "I love hearing you say that."

His eyes never left mine, but his hands pushed my legs wide apart.

I had asked him to tease me, and he did. He slid inside me about an inch, challenging the tight muscles at my entrance. My back arched and my eyes rolled back in my head as I cried out in delight. Then he pulled right back out, leaving me empty and longing for him. He did that a few times, teasing me mercilessly. It felt amazing, my opening being stretched and released like that, but I wanted more. I was whimpering beneath him, clawing at his ass to try to push him into me, but he was unmoved.

"Say it," he insisted. He was reminding me that I asked him to make me beg.

"Please John... more, please... feels so good... love you... please."

Satisfied with my pleas, he slid a little further inside me. I whimpered happily as his head pushed past the tight ring of muscle, but a moment later he was pulling back out again. I was incoherent the first few times he did it, overwhelmed by the the feel of him teasing my entrance. When I finally managed to gasp "please" again, he grinned and gave me an inch more. I marveled at his control, at the things he could do with his body. He stared at my face, studying my every reaction and fine-tuning his movements, so each thrust felt even better than the one before.

I whimpered "please" without thinking, and he gave me another inch. He was taking my requests very literally, so if I wanted more, I would have to keep begging. It was perfect; exactly what I wanted. I stared up at him, stroking his face tenderly, and I could see the strain of holding back play across his features. I moaned "please" and he slid in one more inch. I was comfortably filled now, but I knew he had more to give me. I delighted at the thought and moaned "please" again right away.

He was stretching me now, challenging my body with the sheer size of him. It was my favorite feeling, being filled to overflowing with his hot, hard cock. It wasn't just that he was long; he was also wide, so wide that I had to take him slowly to be comfortable. The current pace was perfect.

I pulled him down to kiss me, so his tongue was fucking me too. Then I moaned "please" again, and my face contorted as he pushed another wonderful inch inside me, slowly to give my body time to adjust. He was most of the way in now and I was hungry for the rest of him. I whimpered, "please, more" and he slid one last inch inside me, our bodies finally meeting. I sighed happily. He stayed there, rocking me gently as he waited for my muscles to relax and release.

"Perfect," I murmured. "I love you, John."

"I love you too," he stared down at me, his voice full of emotion. "I'm yours, babe, all yours."

Then he flipped us both over, and I was suddenly on top of him, staring down into his eyes.

"Take me, please?" he begged. "Use my body to pleasure yourself?"

I started moving tentatively, not quite sure what I was doing. When I sped up his breath caught dramatically, so I kept that pace, watching his reactions in fascination. After a few seconds, he put his hands on my hips and stopped me.

"Please, don't make this about me. Do what _you_ like. Just use me however you want, don't worry about me. I'll enjoy it, really."

I thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure I know how to," I admitted. "I'm not used to being in control like this."

"Then you'll have to try everything and see what you like," he winked. " Fast or slow..." he took hold of my hips and guided me, moving as fast as he could a few times, then slowing right down to slide in and out of me so gradually I almost begged him again.

"Deep or shallow..." he continued, pressing me down so he was as deep inside me as he'd ever been and grinding our hips together to move within me, making me moan loudly. Then he lifted me halfway off him and tilted my hips back so his tip rubbed my favorite spot and I made delighted little mewling sounds instead. "Hard or gentle..." he said then, using his cock to prod that spot firmly until I was sure I'd come any second, but changing to tender caresses just before I did. He stroked that spot for so long I thought he'd forgotten his lesson, but when I was right on edge again, he continued at last.

"Different angles..." he whispered, shifting me around on top of him to demonstrate that I could feel him in different places inside me, just by changing angles. I thought I liked it best when our bodies lined up perfectly and I felt him deep in my womb, but then he pulled me forward so far our bellies almost touched and fucked me like that. I stared at him wide-eyed and slack-jawed, astonished by what he was doing to me. It felt like he was inside both my entrances, and the pleasure of it was almost more than I could handle. He saw my reaction and grinned, thinking how good it was that someone had already shown me how great anal sex could be. "Long or short thrusts..." he added, sliding all the way in and out of me a couple of times as he stroked my tight, puckered opening with a finger and my eyes rolled back in my head. He plunged all the way back into me and held my hips firm against him then, so he could start all the way inside me and thrust just that little bit deeper. My clit was squashed between our bodies, and the pressure was unbearably perfect. My whole body shuddered as he pressed his finger inside me, just a little, and a moment later my insides started milking him. Then I was coming, hard, sobbing silently as I stared at him.

I collapsed on his chest, panting for breath as my muscles kept spasming and desperate noises escaped my mouth. He held my trembling body and stroked my hair, his lips soft against my neck. I finally stilled, more satisfied than I thought possible.

"Darn," he jokingly complained as I finished, "I didn't get to show you how it feels to move up and down at different speeds, or to use your muscles as you ride me. You'll have to try those some other time, won't you? But trying something just once is never enough, so you'll have to repeat it all two or three times at least, just to be sure. You've got a big job ahead of you, babe, figuring out exactly what you like. Lots of _hard _work." He thrust into me to make his point.

I giggle at his pun, enjoying the way my muscles squeezed him as I laughed. "Can I use your body for my experiments?" I teased.

"God, yes," his voice was suddenly husky again. "I'm all yours, do whatever you want to me."

When he said it, a tingle ran up my spine. There were always little shocks of pleasure when we touched one another, but this was different; more intense. I was instantly horny again and started moving up and down, experimenting to find out what I liked. I soon discovered that I loved slamming myself onto him as hard as I could, then slowly sliding back off, gripping him with my muscles as I did. When I started rolling my hips as I moved so he hit different spots inside me, I was whimpering his name all over again.

Another sensational climax began tingling in my toes, astonishing me; I didn't know it was possible to have so many. As I rode him, the tingles slowly spread through my body, overwhelming me with dark, primal need. I pounded against him, making noises more animal than human, digging my fingernails into him as I came and came. The word amazing barely began to cover it.

As I recovered, I realized I wanted to keep going. I still felt that urge to devour him, to take him as roughly as he wanted, to leave him covered in little love marks from top to toe. I slammed down on him hard again.

"Wait," he gasped, grabbing my hips to stop me before I could slam down on him again.

His hand snaked underneath me and he took hold of his himself roughly, doing something I couldn't see.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, I'm just making myself last a bit longer, it seems like you want to keep going."

I nodded and lifted myself up off him, then sat back so I could see what he was doing. He was holding the base of his cock, right next to the edge of the condom, and seemed to be pressing down hard.

"What are you doing?"

"There's a spot on the underside, here," he took my hand and guided it. "If you press down hard there, it stops me coming. I'm fine to go on now, I should be OK for a few more minutes."

"Good," I answered greedily, as I guided him back into me and slammed down. The hard thrust made me very aware of how big he was, and I heard myself growling as I swallowed him up, pulling him deeper inside me.

I leaned over to kiss him while I kept on riding him, hard and fast again. His hands were cupping my ass as I moved, squeezing me. I sucked his tongue into my mouth and nibbled on it. When I tasted a tiny drop of blood where a tooth had nicked him, a rush of raw animal passion surged through me, knocking all politeness from my body. If he wanted it rough, I could do that.

My hands scratched his chest, his sides, his arms and his ass. His body jerked and he grunted each time, but the way he kissed me told me he loved it. My hands kept roaming, scratching him all over while he moaned and whimpered beneath me.

"Mine," I growled as I bit his lip, staring into his eyes as I did.

The impact that single word had on him was amazing. His face lit up with joy, a wave of lust swept through him so strongly I barely needed to be a telepath to feel it, and all the tension in his body released.

"Yes, yours," he agreed, his voice full of emotion. "Claim me, please?"

I didn't know exactly what 'claim me' meant, but I could feel it was significant to him. I somehow knew what I had to do to claim him as he asked. I fucked him harder, pounding him with a ferocity I didn't know I possessed. My mouth was everywhere, nipping his chest, shoulders, ears, neck, mouth and arms. My hands made a similar journey, clawing at his skin wildly. If I could reach it, I marked it, leaving evidence of my claim all over him.

His body trembled beneath my onslaught, matching me thrust for thrust. He was making a deep, low rumbling sound, punctuated occasionally by little cries of passion. It took me a while to realize he was purring, but when I did, it sent me right over the edge again. Pleasure erupted volcanically through my body this time, hot and unpredictable. My scream was almost a howl; I sat up and threw my head right back as another orgasm seared through me.

I was almost sated now; I had banged most of the tension right out of my body, bouncing up and down on him. He'd been holding back though, and I wasn't going to stop until he was done, too. I moved more slowly, savoring the pleasure I took from his body. When I felt another climax building inside me, I knew it would be my last for the day. I was taking him more gently now, slowly sliding him all the way in and out. He was biting his tongue to stay quiet, and I wondered why.

"Say it," I ordered. "Tell me, my tiger."

"I love you," he whimpered, his eyes following me up and down. "This is so perfect, I've never..." his voice gave out then, and it took him a long moment to continue. "I'm yours. I'm yours," he repeated a few times, staring at me.

I lay down on top of him and kissed him deeply, instinctively feeling the importance of his words. We were both close now and my whole body was tingling, just waiting for a little more to push me over the edge. I was still scratching him, but slowly now, like violent caresses. His arms were wrapped around me, clinging tight to my body. His whimpers were getting louder and more desperate; I knew he was about to come, so I pulled my lips from his so I could look him in the eye as he did.

We were moving in unison, pleasure building at exactly the same pace, when I suddenly knew what I had to say.

"Mine," I growled again. "My tiger."

Then we were melting into each other, blurring all our usual boundaries as we both climaxed, whimpering and staring into each other's eyes. I now knew with utter certainty that he was mine - but I was also pretty sure that I was his, too.


	32. Animal

_WARNING: Spoilers from the CH short story _Wolfsbane and Mistletoe _ / _Gift Wrapped_ below._

* * *

Wrapped in each other's arms in the sunshine, a long time passed before either of us wanted to move. I was content just lying on Quinn's chest, napping in the warm afternoon air with him still inside me, listening to him purr. There was no reason to move; I was exactly where I wanted to be.

I knew something big had just happened; that claiming him as my own in the way I just had was significant somehow. I knew we had to talk about it soon, but for now, I just wanted to savor the joy radiating from him, as well as my own happiness. It felt right to cling to one another like this for a while, as though the feelings we stirred up in each other needed to settle for a while before we did anything more.

"Sookie," he whispered in my ear a little while later. "Wake up, sleeping beauty. Your brother will be here in an hour or so. Do you want to have a shower before he arrives? He'll smell what we've been doing, we're drenched in each other's scent right now."

Jason was coming over to help me train, in an effort to patch things up between us after our latest falling out. (This time, over the inheritance Niall left us both; he was mad that I got more than he did.) No way was I moving just for my idiot brother.

"Good," I muttered. "Let him smell us."

He squeezed me tighter, overjoyed by my response. "So you're telling your whole family you're with me now." I didn't need to see his face to know he was beaming; I could hear it in his voice and feel it in his thoughts.

"Of course I'm gonna tell them," I lifted my head to smile at him. "I love you."

"Mmmmm, I love you too," he grinned back. "My perfect fairy princess."

I wasn't listening to him though; I was too horrified by my own handiwork. Lying with my head on his chest and my eyes half-closed, I hadn't seen the damage I had done to his body. Now I did. There were scratches and bites all over his neck and shoulders, many deep enough that I was surprised I hadn't drawn blood. I was ashamed that I had hurt him so much, and that I enjoyed doing it. Then I sat up to study his chest and it was even worse. Among the many nasty marks, there was a deep, red scratch across his left nipple, which must have hurt him awfully. My hand flew over my mouth as deep regret clouded my mind.

"What have I done?" I whispered, staring at his chest.

His good mood evaporated in an instant. "No, don't take it back," he begged, suddenly distraught. "Please, anything but that."

"But I hurt you. Your chest..." I couldn't say any more, just traced his injuries with my fingertips. "Look what I did to you."

"Are the marks all you regret?" he asked tentatively. "You didn't hurt me, and the marks will heal far too quickly for my liking."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Please, don't regret this, it was perfect."

Then I twigged. "You thought I regretted something other than hurting you?"

"I thought you regretted claiming me, saying I'm yours."

"I don't," I comforted him. "How could I regret this? It feels wonderful."

"I'm so glad to hear that." He didn't need to say it; I felt exactly how relieved he was.

I leaned forward again and kissed him, with my hand pressed against his face to let him feel all the love I felt for him. It wasn't as intense as the love he felt for me, but it was still overwhelmingly. After a few moments, he began purring again, even louder this time. I let him slide out of me so I could cuddle up to his side, tucked into his armpit with an arm and a leg slung over him.

"I don't regret claiming you, but I don't understand what it means and I feel like I need to. It's something important, isn't it?" I asked.

I moved back to look him in the eye, and he rolled onto his side to face me, his arm draped loosely around my waist.

"It is," he said nervously. "When I say I'm yours, I mean it. I'm imprinting to you now, so you're the only one I'll recognize and respond to as my mate. It's a big thing for a shifter, to be claimed. Most of us only do it once in a lifetime. I've never done it before."

"Imprinting?" I asked, not knowing what he meant.

"It's an animal thing. It's like when most animals are born, there's a short period of time where they learn who their mother is, so that instead of having a generic instinct to follow a mother, those instincts become directed towards their own mother. It's the same when shifters become mated, there's a period of time when we adapt to our new mate and all our mating instincts become specific to them. Humans call it pair bonding, but it's not like a blood bond, it's just a learning process."

"So... you're my mate now?" I was trying to figure out what this all meant.

"No, you're not a shifter so you won't imprint to me. But you're _my_ mate, so all my mating instincts are adapting to be about you. By the time it's finished, wanting only you... well, that'll go a lot deeper than it does now," he smiled, happy this was happening to him.

"But shifters aren't usually monogamous, are they? I mean, they breed with different people each time, and they have all those rituals..." As soon as I said it, I knew I shouldn't have.

"If imprinting is allowed to happen naturally, a couple will only want each other, and they won't like most mating rituals, so packs interfere with the imprinting." He was choosing his words carefully, and there was a closed door in his mind that stopped me finding out any more. I could feel that he was protecting me from something he thought would upset me. "They do things to make sure couples imprint to the whole pack, not just one another. I want to do this naturally though, so I only imprint to you. Are you OK with that?"

"What do I have to do?" I asked apprehensively, wondering what I'd got myself into this time. _Darn Supes and their wacky traditions_, I thought crankily.

"Just put up with me for the next week, is all. I'll be the clingiest boyfriend around, so you won't get a lot of time alone. I'll need to be near you every second of the day, talking and touching and hopefully making love a lot, too," he smiled softly and gave me a hopeful look. "You don't have to do anything in particular, just let me be near you and do whatever your instincts say is right. And if you need me to give you some space for a while, just be gentle about it, OK?"

What I saw in his mind as he said it was actually quite appealing: a week of cuddling and talking and affectionate love-making. Of all the crazy stuff I'd seen and done since I got tangled up in the Supe world, it would probably be the most enjoyable. For that matter, it also seemed the most normal.

"Seems like what human couples do when they fall in love," I shrugged. "Spending every moment together, being all mushy with each other."

He grinned then. "Yeah, humans are just starting to figure out that they do something a bit like imprinting, too, getting to know a new mate."

"OK, I can do what you need," I agreed. "I just need to ask, though... did you know this was going to happen?"

I hoped he didn't; I knew I'd be furious with him if he knew this was going to happen and didn't bother to mention it. If this was an accident, we were in it together. If it was something he decided to spring on me, or worse, something he tricked me into... _I'm really not putting up with that bullshit again_, I thought.

"No. It's only supposed to trigger naturally like this when two shifters get together." He was telling the truth, thankfully. "I can't explain why it's happened; either your fairy magic triggered it, or I'm so overdue to be mated that it doesn't matter that you're not a shifter. I'm ten years past my prime now, which is pretty bad. Shifters aren't really considered adults until they're mated, so I guess you just made a man of me, Miss Stackhouse," he chuckled. "When I realized what was happening, I tried to hold back so I could talk to you first, but you told me to say it, and I wanted this so much that I ran out of willpower."

I was starting to understand this meant something big to him. "Becoming mated... You made some sort of commitment to me."

"Yes."

"What does this mean?" I asked warily. "What have we just committed to?"

"It's up to us to figure that out. There were so many different customs already, but they're all changing at the moment; catching up with what humans have changed in the last hundred years. Things like females not being subservient any more, being able to divorce, that kinda thing. Most packs refused to change, but so many women left to marry humans that they have to adapt if they want to survive. The whole shifter community is trying to work out how to update their species' customs, so there are lots of different views about what claiming a mate means now. That's good for us because whatever we want to do, I can probably get other shifters to accept it. There won't be much pressure on us to be traditional, which is good because the old ways wouldn't work for either of us."

"Are the folks out at Hotshot traditionalists?" I decided that was the safest of my questions.

"Oh yeah, they're about the worst, those panthers. It's ironic; full-time panthers don't form packs, but most werepanthers copy the wolves' habits instead, and they're a lot stricter about it than the wolves. There aren't many progressive werepanthers out there."

"What about tigers? Do y'all have packs? I've never heard you mention your pack..."

"I don't belong to any pack," he growled, then realized I meant no offense and softened. "Sorry. Tigers don't form packs, and there aren't enough weretigers in America to form a pack, even if we wanted to. Not that we ever have, it goes against all our instincts. No tigress would agree to any of the stuff that goes on in most packs, and no tiger would want a mate who did."

"But you said the traditionalists expect women to be obedient, didn't you?"

"Yes, but tigers have always been the renegades on that one. The other shifters disapprove, especially the wolves, but we don't break our women. We like 'em fierce," he smiled at me. "Tigers want strong, independent mates, we like a woman who keeps us in line. We're not pack animals like wolves so we don't need to pull that alpha male crap on our mates to feel like men."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Oh, so you can't blame your tiger instincts when you're jealous and possessive?" I teased.

"No, that's a tiger thing, the instinct to fend off other males. There are good reasons why male tigers have that instinct."

"What, like keeping their woman all to themselves?" I joked.

"Women," he corrected, "and that's part of it, but not the main reason. It's mostly because when a new male takes over an area, the first thing they do is kill all the cubs so their mothers become fertile again. Our instincts tell us to stop that, by any means."

My hand flew over my mouth and I stared at him in shock, but even as my mind reeled, part of me appreciated his candor about what he was. I could feel that he wasn't keeping anything from me, and he certainly wasn't sugar-coating things. I liked that.

"I know, it's horrible," he agreed. "Can you understand why the tiger instinct to keep other males away from the women I care about is so strong? I do my best to ignore it most of the time, but when it does kick in, it can be hard to act human for a while."

"I understand now... sorry I've been so hard on you about it." I brushed my fingers against his cheek, to show that I meant it.

"Thanks," he smiled. "I'll try not to get into fights with other men over you, but if I slip up occasionally, you know why. It's especially hard around men who've hurt you before. When the human in me wants to protect you from them just as much as the tiger does, it's hard to keep those instincts under control. I'm not a house-trained kitty then, I get a bit feral."

I smiled at his apt description and leaned over to rub my face against his chest affectionately. "You're OK most of the time, you get along with James and Sam fine. You even manage to be civil with Eric, mostly. Actually, it's really only Bill you go feral around."

"Exactly. The things that bastard did to you... nobody's gonna treat you like that while I'm around," he rumbled, and I couldn't help but smile. "But if I'm out of line, you're entitled to snarl and scratch me. A tigress wouldn't take any crap from her mate."

"Mate," my eyes narrowed. "So male tigers have lots of women, but the women only get to have one man."

"Tigers aren't old-school Mormons with a harem of women. They all live alone most of the time, males and females share territory but they rarely see each other. Each male shares territory with a few females, but he's only with one at a time."

"So the men prowl from woman to woman, and the women spend most of their time alone," I grumbled.

"Tigers aren't Viking vampires either," he wisecracked. "Seriously though, if two tigers spend too long together, it makes it harder for them to hunt and they both go hungry, so the females aren't any more interested in a long-term relationship than the males. A tigress only wants a male around when she's in heat, and she chases him away once she's done having sex with him.

"As for the males, when they're mating with a female they're completely monogamous 'til she's done with him. He'll follow her around as much as she'll let him and ignore any other females who are in season to be with her. He'll always come back for more next time she's in heat, too, unless she decides she'd rather have someone else."

"The females get a choice?" I asked, confused. "I thought they lived in a male's territory."

"They share territory with a male, but they don't have to mate with him. If she wants to check out her options, a female who's coming into heat wanders for miles, calling and leaving her scent to tell any nearby males she's looking for a mate. The males approach her politely and compete for the right to court her, then whoever she chooses stays around for as long as she wants."

"That sounds so nice."

He nuzzled me affectionately. "You want me to compete with all the other males around here to court you?" he teased.

"No, I meant the parts about being polite, letting the female choose and sticking around for as long as she wants."

"Tigers are polite because their women kick ass. When a tiger and a tigress get into a fight, there's a good chance the male will get hurt, even though he's bigger. Speed and cunning count for a lot. That's the real reason I'm training you, 'cos you'll need those ass-kicking skills to chase me away when you're sick of me," he joked. "Seriously, though, my tiger instincts tell me to stay with a woman for as long as she wants to mate with me... and to do it at least twenty times a day," he grinned.

My eyes widened. "OK, that was great, but I think I'm done for today. Tigresses must have a lot more stamina than me."

"Not really," he explained, "the males last about 30 seconds at a time, tops."

"Well, that sucks. For the females, I mean. So full-time tigers aren't so great in bed."

"Nope, the whole scratched innards thing makes them pretty undesirable."

"Scratched innards?"

"Male tigers have these barbs all over the tip of their penis that scratch the insides of any female they mate with. You should see the way tigresses snarl when it happens, it really hurts them. No post-coital cuddles for full-time tigers; the male has to get a safe distance away, fast, or she'll take an eye out in retaliation. Which would probably be fair, although he can't help it."

I crossed my legs involuntarily, still lying on my side. "Ouch. How awful. Why do the females do it at all, when it's so painful?"

"Instinct. A tigress in heat has literally nothing on her mind but sex, she won't eat or sleep for days, all she wants to do is fuck."

"That I can relate to." I leaned over to brush my lips against his neck; even completely sated, I still wanted him.

"Plus it only hurts when he pulls out," he added. "The spikes are angled backwards so they don't scratch her the rest of the time."

"That still doesn't sound so great. You know a lot about this, have you ever..." I trailed off, not sure I wanted to say it.

"Fucked a full-time tiger? Hell no!" He was really insulted that I even thought of asking him that. He sat up abruptly and started ranting. "Even if I wanted to, which I don't, they can smell that weretigers are different. No full-time tigress would have sex with me willingly, at least not unless I courted her for a helluva long time, years probably, so you basically just accused me of rape as well as bestiality."

"Sorry, you're half tiger so it's not the same as-" I tried to apologize, but he just kept going.

"Plus it's really irresponsible. Perverted shifters helped quite a few diseases jump species to humans. But I can understand why you want to talk about fucking animals, babe, being part-fairy and all," he taunted, trying to sound less upset but failing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I tried not to be too insulted; he was trying to lighten the mood after I insulted him.

"Well, you know how some fairies can shape-shift?"

All the blood drained from my face and I shrank away from him. "Of course," I snapped, my eyes narrowing.

He noticed my reaction, but figured it was best to just say what he was going to, since it would take my mind off evil fairies.

"Well, legend has it that the first shifters were fathered by fairies who took the form of animals and used magic to make them have sex with them. Then the animals had kids who were half-fairy and able to shape shift between their two forms - shifters like me."

"Ew. Fairies can be so gross."

"You said it," he grinned, lying down beside me again so he could look me in the eye. "Just remember that when you hear about all the revolting things shifters used to do, or sometimes still do. The way you feel about the worst fairy customs is exactly how I feel about the worst shifter customs. Just because some shifters do something, doesn't mean I ever would."

"OK, point taken," I conceded. I tried to cuddle up to him again, but I couldn't relax and my body stayed rigid, even lying down.

"I'm sorry I brought that up," he apologized, rubbing my back. "I didn't know that Lochlan and Neave were shape shifters."

"They weren't," I corrected, without thinking. "Maybe they were," I back-pedalled. "Jason will be here soon, I need to get dressed."

I sat up and reached for my clothes, but he caught me before I could get to them. He hugged me tightly, keeping me there.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I shouldn't have got so mad at you for asking that. I can see how you might think it was OK, someone who's part-tiger being with a full-time tiger... you didn't know how big an insult it is, to accuse a shifter of that."

"It's OK," I insisted, trying to pull away. "We should get ready, Jason will be here soon."

He squeezed me one last time, kissed my hair and let me go.

I stood and pulled my clothes on quickly, wanting to get away as fast as I could. It was only when I was fully dressed that I paused for a moment and noticed how worried he was. He thought I was angry with him because he got upset about what I asked.

This time, I knelt down and hugged him. "It's not you," I reassured him. "It's something else, but I don't want to talk about it, OK?"

He hugged me back, still naked, and I felt his sadness clearly. "What do you think would happen if you told me?" he asked.

I didn't expect the question. "You'd try to kill Niall, even though he didn't mean to hurt me," I blurted out without thinking.

"You think I'd kill your great-grandfather?" He pulled away from me, appalled I could think that about him.

"Wouldn't you?" I snapped. "Bill killed my great-uncle over less." Then I realized what I'd just said and tried to apologize. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it, I'm not explaining things very well. You're not Bill, I know that. I'm sorry."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said tightly, "especially if he killed your kin." His voice was furious and his mind was full of contained rage.

"It's not like that," I tried to explain. "Bill did me a favor, really. I'm glad he's dead."

"OK, now I'm confused," he admitted. "Your great-uncle must've done something really bad if you're glad he's dead."

"Glad isn't really the right word, I'm mostly just relieved that he can't hurt me any more."

"OK, so your uncle did something so bad to you that you're relieved he's dead, but Niall did something worse?" he was horrified.

"Not really, I guess. If I had a choice I still would've done it, probably, so it wasn't technically against my will... I just don't like people putting spells on me to make me do things, and I don't like them lying to me or tricking me, even if they only make me do things that I would've done anyway if they just offered... I'm not making any sense, am I?"

"You're making perfect sense, unfortunately. Niall tried some match-making, didn't he?"

I stared at him in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"You just described a fairy's idea of a perfect date," he explained. "Spells, lies, trickery... it's their version of dinner and a movie."

"Oh." I just stared at him, shocked. Then it all caught up with me, and I started crying. He put his arm around my shoulder.

"So Niall set you up with someone who lied, tricked you and put a spell on you so you'd do have sex with him?" he asked gently.

I nodded. "He meant it as a Christmas present," I explained, drying my eyes. "If he'd just sent the guy to my front door with a bow around his neck, I would've liked the idea, but he didn't."

"No, he couldn't, he'd be insulting both of you if he did that. To fairies it's a sign of respect if someone uses a complicated ruse to get you into bed. The more effort they put into it, the more highly they regard you. As Niall's kin, I'm guessing you got the works: an elaborate plot, some major glamouring, supporting cast to back up the story, a strong lust spell..."

I started crying again. "He pretended to be an injured Were, but his brain patterns kept changing. I only realized he was a fairy when I saw Claudine a couple weeks later and her mind felt the same. Niall admitted it when I asked, but he couldn't understand why I was upset. He thought it was a great Christmas present, and it was, but..."

"But after what happened with Bill, you want a choice. I assume he wasn't the first one to force you, either. Your great-uncle?"

"He didn't rape me or anything, just touched me and stuff," I admitted shakily. "I think he did it to Hunter's Mom, Hadley, too."

"No wonder you're glad Bill killed him. I'm happy the creep's dead, too. I would've killed him for you, if you asked me."

"I didn't ask Bill to do it... stupid Jason invited him to Gran's funeral and I told Bill why I was so upset afterwards and..."

"And Bill went and killed him. So now you don't want to tell men about anything bad that happens to you in case they kill someone over it. But I'm not Bill, I won't kill anyone on your behalf unless you want me to, no matter what they did to you."

"I know, I'm sorry I said that. I've never told anyone about that before..."

"It's alright, I get it now. Just don't compare me to Bill ever again, OK?"

"I won't," I smiled. "But please don't tell anyone else about this, especially not what Niall did... if Eric ever finds out -"

"He actually will try to kill Niall," he finished for me. "Through official channels, of course, but he'd accuse Niall of interfering with your blood bond and make sure he was punished for it, whether he returns to this world or not. Don't worry, I won't say anything."

"Thanks. And don't tell anyone about Bill, either. I don't want him to get in trouble for killing my great-uncle."

"I won't." He pulled me into his arms and held me, rocking back and forth to soothe me.

I hugged him back, feeling much lighter for finally having shared the secret I'd carried with me since Christmas.

"Nobody's going to hurt you any more," he vowed, whispering into my hair. "They can try, but they won't succeed. You're getting strong enough to fight off most people yourself, and I'm going to be here to keep you safe. You need to let Hunter help you, too. Give him my phone number and tell him that if he sees trouble coming, call me. Actually, give him the numbers of everyone who'll protect you: Bill, Eric, Pam, James, Amelia, Sam, even Alcide. Not de Castro, you can't trust him, even while you're under his protection. But please, give Hunter everyone else's phone numbers? Just in case something happens that you can't deal with alone. Promise me, please?" he was literally begging me to be safe, distraught about all the things I'd had to cope with alone.

"OK," I agreed, "I'll give Hunter everyone's phone numbers, just in case. But only for emergencies."

He kept holding me tight, not wanting to let go of me for a second. I didn't mind, not even when he squeezed me so hard I had trouble breathing. For the first time in weeks, I felt completely safe.


	33. Mated

When we started walking back to my house, my legs didn't want to carry me. I started falling behind almost as soon as we left the fairy meadow.

"My legs feel like they're made of jell-o," I complained to Quinn, stopping a couple of paces behind him.

He turned and picked me up lightly, bringing me back into his arms. I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, and immediately felt better. He arranged me so he was supporting my weight with one arm beneath my butt, and kept walking back through the woods towards my house. I slung an arm around his neck and lay my head on his shoulder. I sighed happily.

"Why do I only feel right when I'm touching you?" I asked, nuzzling his neck.

"You feel like that too?" He was surprised by my question.

"I feel the same way you do, like I have to keep rubbing my skin against yours all the time. What's going on? What is this?"

"The way I feel right now, it's because I'm imprinting, but that's a shifter thing. If you're feeling the same... Maybe it's your telepathy, you're picking up on what I'm feeling?"

I shook my head. "Nope, I can tell what's mine and what's other people's. Plus we never feel exactly the same thing at the same moment, so there's definitely two sets of feelings there. The same feelings, but two sets of them."

"Oh. If it's not your telepathy causing it, then I really don't know what's going on. Sorry. Maybe you fairy blood has something to do with it? There's a guy I work with who might know, I can ask him if you want? I should call him anyway, since it's gonna be hard to be away from you while I'm imprinting. Would it be OK if I stay here a bit longer?"

"I'd like that," I grinned. He was supposed to leave in a few days, and I'd been worried about that. I was thrilled he was going to stay longer.

"Then I'll call him while we walk back and start organizing it."

He pulled his phone from his pocket, turned it on and called someone on speed dial, still holding me in his other arm. I was cuddled up so close to him that I was able to hear both sides of his conversation.

"Fielding," a male voice answered on the first ring. The man had a strong accent, but I couldn't pick it. Maybe English?

"Quinn here, I need-"

"Are you alright?" the man sounded worried. "We've all been concerned, you haven't taken a phone call or answered an email all day. Has something happened to your mother? Are you indebted to de Castro again? I knew that scoundrel would find some way-"

"No, it's nothing like that. I'm fine. Just go into one of the meeting rooms and close the door, OK?" He thought they would be overheard otherwise; in an office full of Supes, the only way to have a private conversation is to use a sound-proof room, like their meeting rooms.

There was shuffling and the sound of a door closing before Quinn's colleague spoke again. "What's going on? Why the secrecy?"

"Max, I'm telling you about this first because I need you to explain what's happening to the others, after I speak to them tonight. Preferably with some reference material to back you up, because I don't think they'll like it. Until then, just let them know I'm fine and to wait until I call them."

"So this has something to do with the telepath. Am I to take it you're imprinting?"

"Yes."

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order, now you've finally claimed a mate."

"She claimed me."

"How very _progressive_," the man sniffed, spitting out the word as though it tasted terrible in his mouth. "Will her brother's pack be aiding you in the rituals? I almost feel sorry for the girl, having to mate with all those _panthers_. I'm sure my own pack would come to your aid, if you'd rather we break her in for you? I hear she's quite a tasty little thing."

"No!" Quinn fumed. "I'm not putting her through that, and if anyone tries, I'll kill them. Nobody's going to hurt her."

"So you're putting your _theories_ into practice," he sighed. "That's a very bad idea, Quinn. You'll come to regret this. It's kinder to teach them their place at the start. They all end up enjoying the rituals, it's what they need. You'll change your mind, but it'll be too late then. You'll be stuck with a strong-willed, disobedient mate who talks back to you and has to be disciplined all the time."

"Good," he snapped. "I don't want her broken, and I'm not gonna change my mind about that. I'm not some wimpy pack animal who has to yoke his mate to feel like a man. And you know as well as I do that they only enjoy the rituals because they're imprinting and everything feels amazing. Besides, she's not a shifter and under her kind's laws, doing any of that to her is illegal."

"If she's not a shifter then you can't really be imprinting. We don't imprint to _humans_" - he said the word with disdain, much like 'panthers.' "Isn't she a secondary though, if her older brother's a panther? Secondaries do sometimes have special abilities, since both parents were shifters. Perhaps that's how she's able to imprint. Having that ability and taking a shifter mate brings her under our laws, even if she can't actually shift."

"Her brother's bitten, not born."

"Poor pathetic half-breed," he commiserated. "Don't know why you even called the mongrel a shifter."

I felt bad to hear anyone speak so poorly of my brother, but I knew what he was saying. A bitten shifter can only turn into a half-man, half-animal hybrid; they don't shift fully to become beautiful wild animals the way born shifters like Quinn do.

"Focus, Max. She and I are both imprinting, I'm sure of it. She's a fairy halfling and her magic seems to be helping things along."

"Well, that does change things. Fairies don't imprint, but they're certainly capable of binding a mate. If her magic's strong enough, she could even make you imprint to her. I take it you think that's what's happening, since she claimed you?"

"I'm not sure what's going on. I was hoping you might do some research into bonds between shifters and halflings for me? I know there have been fairies who chose shifters for mates before, so maybe some halflings have, too. Although I do have a theory about why we're both experiencing the imprinting process now."

"Another of your _theories_," he sighed. "Well, I supposed I'd better hear it."

"OK, you're familiar with the legends that we descended from fairies who mated with animals? If that's true, maybe imprinting isn't an animal thing like we believe. Maybe it's the fairy blood we have that causes it, and that's why Sookie and I are feeling the same things now. It would also explain why imprinting is the same for all shifter species, whether our animals pair up long-term or not. Full-time tigers sure don't pair bond like this, and full-time horses don't, either."

"Let's just stick to the facts, shall we?" he replied impatiently, sounding irritated by Quinn's speculation. "Did anything happen between to you before the claim, that might be caused by her fairy magic?"

"Well, for about a day, we've both been feeling little shocks of fairy magic whenever we touch. And for the last week, it's been much easier for her to project her thoughts to me than to anyone else. But you're not to tell anyone."

"Wouldn't dream of it, I'm the soul of dicretion. Now what happened when she claimed you today?"

Quinn sighed. "Do I have to share all the details? I think we'd both prefer to keep this private."

"I'm not asking out of prurient interest, you know. The more you tell me, the better the chance I have of determining what's happening to you both."

_Is it alright for me to tell him?_ he silently asked me. _He won't gossip._

I nodded, and he continued his conversation.

"OK, it happened in a meadow that's significant to Sookie's kin. It looks like there's a _sidh_ there, although she said the gateway's closed now."

"Fascinating. The location would certainly strengthen her magic. So she took you there and claimed you?"

"Yes, but neither of us planned this, it just happened."

"What happened, exactly? You must have completed the ceremony to be imprinting to her?"

"In the barest possible sense. We were already marked with each other's scent, when she bit me and said 'mine'. That was enough to start things rolling, even though I just said 'yes', not the actual troth. Then she marked her claim on me; she must've seen it in my thoughts because she did it perfectly. I tried to hold back from making the troth so I could explain things to her before we were mated, but she asked me to say it and I did. Then she re-stated her claim and we completed the ceremony."

"By mating?"

"We were the whole time."

"Interesting." Mercifully, that was all he said about that. "Now, her fairy ancestry... How many generations down is she?"

"Three."

"So she's only one-eighth? Her magic can't be very strong, then. She's barely even a halfling, really. I'm not sure how one so weak could claim you."

"She's of the royal line."

"Well, that is a different story. How senior in the hierarchy is her ancestor?"

"I've told you as much as I'm going to about her ancestry."

"So the rumors are true, then?" he marveled. "About Andre I mean, Sophie-Anne's minion. You remember Andre?"

"Yes." In his thoughts, Quinn added, _and I remember killing the bastard, too. _He was nervous. "What rumors?"

"I heard Andre had a single drop of the telepath's blood and became enchanted by her somehow. While he was under her spell, he betrayed his Queen and tried to force a blood bond, so the girl would be his instead of Sophie-Anne's. She killed him in a jealous rage when she found out. The girl must be descended from someone powerful if just one drop is all it takes to enchant a vampire that old."

Quinn chuckled. "That's a great story, but I didn't call to discuss baseless rumors, Max. I won't be able to leave Sookie for a while, so I have to take more time off. I need you to explain imprinting to our partners after I've spoken to them this evening. Can you do that?"

"Of course, but you're going to need some serious leverage to get away with this."

"I'm working on it." His thoughts betrayed him though; he really had no idea what he was going to do.

"You won't be able to miss VampCon though, not even for this."

"If I have to go, then I'll have to bring Sookie. It's only two weeks away, I won't be able to leave her for that long yet."

"Well you might just have your leverage, then. Gutteridge will be very pleased to have the legendary telepath there, plenty of vampires will come just to use her services. Be sure to give him plenty of time to get word out that she's coming."

"No!" Quinn snapped. "She's not some company asset, I won't use her like that."

"It's OK," I interrupted. "If it means you can get time off to be with me, I'll do a few readings while I'm there."

"Are you sure?" he asked, covering the phone with his hand.

"Of course," I rubbed my face against his neck again. "Just make sure the vamps pay me, and that I'm never left alone with them."

He kissed me briefly and returned to his phone call. "Well, she's willing to do it, so I might have something to bargain with."

"Yes, I heard. Say hello to her for me."

"Hi, John's workmate," I said into the phone, then rested my head on Quinn's shoulder again.

"So you do have a first name, Mr. Quinn," Fielding teased. "Or should I say, _John_."

"_You_ should say Quinn, only my family call me John. Which you know, since you've heard Frannie say it so many times."

"Speaking of, how is the lovely Francine?"

"She's good. I can't chat now, though. Tell Gutteridge I'll call him and Sancho this evening?"

"Will do. Before you go, am I to take it the Viking has relinquished his claim on your mate?"

"You know he'll never do that, her _gift_ is too valuable," he spat out.

"Then there will be trouble when he recovers and comes back for her."

Quinn sighed loudly. "Firstly, the rumors aren't true. There's no way he could do the things he's done recently if he were injured that badly. Secondly, their bond was never declared, it wasn't consummated for months, he's defiled it a dozen times over, and she could easily argue desertion, as well. He bound her as a serf, not a mate, so he has no conjugal claim. And thirdly, she's had enough of being treated that way, and there's no way he can force another Supe - not even a halfling - to honor a bond he defiled."

"Defiling a blood bond is a very serious allegation."

"He chooses to feed on others instead of her, and he does it publicly."

"There is proof?"

"He sent one of his meals to her workplace to brag about it in front of half the town, including a true shifter and two witches."

"How _fascinating_. I don't believe such a clear case has ever gone to trial... you might get a ruling in your favor, on those grounds."

"It won't come to that. Anyway, I have other things on my mind right now. We can talk about this later."

"Certainly."

"Bye, Max."

"Goodbye, Quinn."

He hung up and immediately turned to me.

"Sorry, I guess some of that didn't make much sense to you. I'll explain everything," he promised.

And true to his word, he did.


	34. Return

I was in my backyard and I was being hunted. The two huge felines circled around me, looking for an opening that would allow them to get their claws into me. I stood perfectly still, watching their movements carefully and scanning their minds to see when and how they would strike. I had to be quick; they were both significantly stronger than me, and armed with long, razor-sharp claws. I couldn't let them hit me, not even once.

The smaller of the shifters pounced, trying to take me down with a high tackle. If he hit me, it would really hurt. Luckily, I saw the move in his mind half a second before he leaped at me. I waited a split-second, so it looked like I reacted to his attack when he was already in the air. I ducked just in time and gave him a little push telekinetically. He sailed over my head without making contact and landed face-first in the dirt. I made sure I was clear of his limbs, then turned my attention to the other attacker.

The sun was setting and visibility was decreasing, at least for me; I only saw the tiger approach through his thoughts. The bigger cat was by far the more formidable opponent, stealthy and fast as well as fearsomely strong. A huge paw flashed towards me without warning and missed my arm by mere inches as I spun out of the way. It was swiftly followed by a second paw, low to the ground. This one was meant to take my feet out from under me. I saw it coming in plenty of time and leaped over it easily, stomping down on it briefly as it went by.

The tiger advanced towards me, limping on the freshly-stomped paw. He was herding me towards the huge hole in the ground where my new swimming pool would soon be. If he got me in there, he could easily catch me. I pretended to fall for his plan for a few seconds, looking for an opening to get past him. He suddenly leaped at me with both paws outstretched, trying to catch me between the two huge sets of claws. The smaller cat was up and helping him again, blocking my escape. I took a couple of steps back like they wanted me to, then '_pop_!' I was on the other side of the yard.

The tiger was right on the edge of the swimming pool hole. He had landed off-balance and was scrambling to get his footing. The smaller shifter, a bitten panther who walked on two legs like a human but had fur and claws like a panther, was already stalking towards me. He had seen me teleport before and was prepared for it. I heard in his thoughts that he was determined to take me down before his bigger, more ferocious co-attacker could get over to me, so he leaped without looking where he was going. That made it easier for me; I stepped out of his path at the last second and gave him a telekinetic push that redirected his momentum and sent him flying into the other huge hole in the ground.

"Good one, Jason," I yelled, stirring him up. It would take him a few minutes to get out of the hole.

The tiger was coming after me again, but now that there was only one attacker to deal with for a while, I was much happier. I danced around him, getting teasingly close, but always whirling out of his way just in time. His paws flashed towards me, over and over, but I was fast enough to dodge them each time. Frustrated, he pounced. A wall of striped fur barreled towards me, but I saw in his thoughts that he expected me to teleport out of his way. He was going to stop so he could change direction quickly and be on me again immediately after I reappeared.

I decided to try something different. When he expected me to teleport, I leaped directly upwards instead. Using my fairy powers, I was able to jump 15 feet in the air almost instantaneously, but slow down my descent to give me more control over my landing. The tiger stopped right where I had been and swung his head around, looking for me to reappear. I landed lightly on his shoulder blades instead, pushing my heel against his spine for a second to let him know how much damage I could have done in a real fight, before I jumped off his back and put some distance between us. I was enjoying myself.

He sunk down for a moment, and I could swear the sound rumbling around his huge chest was laughter.

Suddenly, I felt an unexpected tingling in the back of my mind. Eric was nearby. He still had the bond closed so I couldn't tell what he was feeling, but I could sense that he was somewhere close, and getting closer by the second.

"We might have company soon. Eric's headed this way," I told the two big cats, and they both nodded.

The panther was out of the hole he had been stuck in, and they both started circling me again. This time, they tried a close, simultaneous attack. Paws flew at me from all directions and I had to concentrate hard to keep ahead of them. On the bright side, they kept getting in one another's way, and a couple of times Jason missed me and got Quinn instead. They broke off from attacking me for a couple of minutes, while Quinn roared at Jason for scratching him and pushed him around a bit.

_Men_, I thought, rolling my eyes.

They resumed their earlier strategy of attacking me one at a time, while the other circled around looking for an opening. It was a menacing sight, the two big cats stalking me. If I didn't have my new fairy powers, there's no way I would survive an attack like this. Even with fairy powers, it was challenging.

The two shifters were still circling me, waiting for me to mess up and give them an opening, when I felt the blank space of a vampire mind about 100 yards away, moving towards me fast, about 50 feet above the ground. Eric.

"Hey Eric," I greeted him, standing still for a second. "Nothing to worry about, we're just sparring."

I deliberately looked distracted while I said it, letting the felines think they had the opening they were looking for. I used Hunter's mind trick so they each failed to see the other pounce. At the last second, I leaped directly upwards so I was no longer between them. They hit one another head on, at speed, making a dull thud as their skulls crashed together. They both sunk to the ground, looking dazed and groggy. I landed on Quinn's shoulder blades again, but this time walked along his spine at a leisurely pace. His thoughts were so muddled after hitting his head that he wouldn't be moving for a few minutes.

Eric landed in my backyard just as I stepped off Quinn's back. I was really pleased to see him. In spite of everything that had happened while he was away, I wanted to throw my arms around him and kiss him. I knew we were over - he'd made that abundantly clear - but that hadn't diminished my feelings for him at all. I felt bad about that in light of my rekindled relationship with Quinn, but as soon as I saw him, I knew I was still Eric's girl. _Sorry Quinn,_ I thought to myself, _I still love him more_.

"Hi Eric," I chirped, walking over to him.

I went to hug him but he took a step back and regarded me coldly.

"Sookie," his voice was like metal covered in ice, "you smell terrible."

"Sorry, I've been fighting shifters for a few hours," I told him sheepishly.

He stared at me but didn't say anything. _Oh shit,_ I thought, _he knows._ I was covered in Quinn's scent in a way that simply sparring would never cause. I decided to change the subject; I didn't want to talk about this yet.

"Did you see me sparring? What did you think? I've learned so much in the last few weeks."

"Your training has gone well," he agreed, but his voice was still cold.

Quinn and Jason were woozily picking themselves up off the ground now.

"Could you guys go change, please?" I asked them.

They both nodded and wandered into the woods to shift back to their human form and put some clothes on.

"You're back really early," I smiled at Eric. "I'm glad to see you. I didn't expect you to be back for months."

"I can tell." His voice was even colder than before, but I expected that.

"Are you OK? What happened on the night when you shut down the bond?"

"You don't need to know."

I was hurt. "I know you said that, but I was so worried about you. I felt your pain and I was so scared you were dead. I don't know of anything that hurts that much. Whatever it was, it must've been awful."

"There are worse things," he replied, and I could swear I heard the slightest note of sadness in his voice.

Quinn walked up to us then. I felt an overwhelming urge to rub against him, and I knew he felt the same. We were in the middle of a shifter bonding process called imprinting and we craved each other's touch, but I was pretty sure that touching him in front of Eric was a bad idea; the Viking always regarded me as 'his', even when we didn't see or speak to one another for months.

_Maybe we should play it cool in front of him for a while,_ Quinn suggested silently. _I doubt he'll take this well, so might be best not to provoke him._

I felt such gratitude towards him that for a moment, I just wanted to kiss him - despite what he just said - but I nodded instead.

"Eric," Quinn greeted him.

"Quinn," Eric sneered back.

Eric's face showed nothing, but a wave of sadness rolled off him before he caught it and closed the bond again. In spite of myself, I felt sorry for him. I knew that even if you were the one to end things, it wasn't fun seeing your ex with someone else.

Jason was also approaching, but he decided to sneak up and crash tackle me as revenge for pushing him into the hole before. I had my back to him, but Quinn and Eric could both see his approach clearly. I saw a tiny flicker on Eric's face when he figured out what was about to happen, and heard the realization in Quinn's thoughts a split-second later. They were about to intervene, but I just smiled and winked at them both.

"Sookie's training has done more good than I expected," Eric told Quinn grudgingly.

Quinn nodded. "She's a really fast learner and her new fairy powers make her pretty formidable. We haven't done weapons training yet because her wrists are too messed up, but everything else is coming along really well." He beamed at me proudly. He was thinking _I told you so_, because he and Eric had disagreed on whether there was any point training me, since I'm so weak and slow and 'easily damaged' in Eric's estimation.

As Quinn spoke, Jason pounced. He leaped towards me, trying to grab me around the waist and take me down. At the last second, I stepped to my left and ducked under his arm, then turned my right hand upwards and gave a strong burst of energy against his left hip bone as he flew over me. The push on his hip flipped him over so he landed on his back, and his head crashed into Eric's legs. Even colliding with him at full force, Jason didn't make Eric move at all; he was like a statue. I stepped lightly onto Jason's chest, reaching my foot out to poke his Adam's apple gently.

Eric looked down at Jason, unimpressed. "Attacking women now?" he asked in his still-icy voice.

Jason just looked sheepish. I stepped off his chest, laughing a little. He look really funny with his head resting on Eric's shoes and a furious look on his face.

"You wouldn't believe how much fun that is," I smiled at Eric. Then I realized how silly a statement that was. "Actually, you'd know exactly how much fun it is. Pretend I didn't say that."

He smiled slightly. "I'm glad you enjoy training. You look good out there, you have learned a lot."

"Thanks," I beamed. "That means a lot coming from you. I would really like to take advanced training with you some time, when I'm good enough. I could learn so much from you. I'm still your Area's telepath, even if we're not together any more."

He just gave me a blank look. _Guess that's not gonna happen_, I thought to myself.

Jason picked himself up off the ground, looking sheepish but secretly fuming that his little sister had beaten him. "I should go, I've got a date."

"Thanks for coming over and helping me train," I grinned. "You were a big help."

He just grunted and started walking out the front to his truck.

Things had been rocky between us since Niall set up a trust fund for us, but gave me five times as much money as my brother. I tried to explain that the money wasn't all for me; it was mostly so I could maintain the house and protect the fairy meadow in our woods, but that didn't make him resent me any less. We were speaking again but not much more, although he was finally starting to accept that Niall's actions weren't my fault.

"Bye, Jason," Quinn called after him.

He raised his hand and waved without looking back. He was thinking jealous thoughts about the strength and power real shifters have, and how he could never have that because he was bitten, not born. I knew that wasn't strictly true. There was something I could do for him, something that would change all that. In a split second, I decided to do it.

With a loud '_pop'_, I appeared in front of my brother. I reached up and took his face between my hands, pulling him down towards me so I could kiss his forehead. He was so surprised that he let me, even though he wondered what his crazy sister was doing.

"Bye, Jason."

I stepped out of his way and walked back to Eric and Quinn. Jason's truck roared out of my driveway as I got there.

"Mmmm, I smell fairy magic," Eric purred, sniffing the air around me with a rapturous look on his face. "What did you just do?"

"I made a minor adjustment to the spell that keeps his fairy powers suppressed. If it worked, he'll be able to shift fully."

"Cool," Quinn smiled. _You sure are packing some serious juice these days, babe._

"Your powers have grown quickly," Eric remarked.

"Thanks."

"You're almost fast enough to fight young vampires now," he added, sounding ever-so-slightly surprised.

"No, I'm nowhere near good enough to fight vamps yet," I admitted. "What you saw out there, I was cheating. I read their minds to find out what they're about to do, so I get more time to react."

"That's not cheating, lover," he replied. "You have to use all you have available to you. You're smaller than them, slower over distances, much weaker and you don't have claws. Reading their minds just evens up the odds a little."

"I guess so. I'm still not ready to fight vampires, but we'll work on that soon."

"So you haven't taught her to defend herself against vampires at all," Eric glared at Quinn.

"She's got a few tricks up her sleeve," Quinn smiled. "Show him, babe."

"Well, apart from teleporting home - that was the first one we worked on, he still thinks getting away quickly is my best strategy a lot of the time - the main thing I can do to protect myself from vamps is this."

I took a step back, concentrated hard and snapped my fingers. I was now wearing all black: tight stretch jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt and sneakers. My hair was pulled back in a pony tail and hidden under a black balaclava. Over all of it, I was wearing a close-fitted jumpsuit made from fine silver chain mail. It covered my body, legs, arms and head, so only my hands, feet and eyes were uncovered. The silver was tarnished black so the delicate chain mail was almost invisible against my clothes. I had black leather gloves with tarnished silver studs all over the back of them on my hands, and a pair of clear goggles covered my eyes.

"If I had to fight vampires, I'd change into this," I told him. My voice was muffled by the balaclava.

"Silver?" Eric asked.

I nodded, and he stepped towards me and tapped the chain mail very gently with one fingertip, as though checking whether a stove was hot. His skin sizzled and a little smoke rose from it when it briefly came in contact with the silver.

"Very effective," he said approvingly. "How much does it weight?"

"Only 10 pounds. I can make a heavier version for times when protection's more important than being able to move quickly."

"Can you take it off?"

"Only by magic," I told him. "When we were working out the design, Quinn and Amelia cut me out of the prototypes a couple of times to see how long it took. For this one, even with all the right tools, it would still take half an hour to cut it off me. Even cutting a hole big enough that someone could drain me would take at least 10 minutes. And vamps would need gloves to do it."

"And if someone hits you while you're in this, does the metal damage you?"

"Not a lot, the chain mail is really low-profile so it doesn't dent me. It does leave an imprint, like the pillow marks on my face in the morning, but it doesn't dig in like some of the bumpier styles of chain mail did. We tested a dozen different styles and this worked best."

"This would improve your odds in a fight with a vampire," Eric concluded.

"I have less elaborate defenses too."

He looked at me expectantly, and I concentrated hard again. This time when I snapped my fingers, I was wearing jeans, a sweater and boots. It looked like a fairly normal outfit, but there was silver concealed all over it. My belt had a big silver buckle and silver studs all around it, and the button and rivets on my jeans were all silver, too. So were the buckles on my boots and the buttons at the neckline of my sweater. I wore chunky silver jewelry as well: a wide Indian cuff with intricate filigree work on my right wrist; a chunky silver watch and a bunch of delicate chains on my left; silver rings on a few fingers; and a string of tarnished silver beads the size of gum balls around my neck. The beads were hollow so they weighed less.

"I have lots of jewelry and belt buckles I can conjure up, they're all silver and chunky. Something to go with any outfit, really. I can also make parts of my clothes silver, like buttons, buckles, rivets and things like that. We tried to come up with things that look normal, so I'm inconspicuous but still have plenty of silver on."

Eric nodded. "A vampire would notice it, but humans probably wouldn't."

"That's what we were aiming for," I smiled.

I concentrated again and changed into something more suitable for a warm spring evening in Louisiana: a sleeveless yellow sundress with a deep v-neck, tan sandals and a white cardigan with lacy eyelet patterns. My hair was perfectly blown out with a headband to keep it out of my face. I loved being able to conjure up new outfits.

"So what brings you here, Eric?" I asked. "You're back a lot sooner than I expected."

"I can tell," he replied frostily. "I know what you two did last night. I knew he would try something adulterous, but I trusted you to resist him, Sookie. I'm just glad one thing you told me is true, you do always think of me when you -"

"Eric!" I snapped. "You split up with me, remember? Where the hell do you get off on being angry with _ME?_"

"I did no such thing."

"What, it doesn't count if you have your flunkies and... _meals_" - I spat the word - "pass on the message?"

He stared at me blankly. "If this is a ploy to stop me punishing you both, it won't work," he threatened.

In an instant, Quinn was standing in front of me, putting himself between Eric and I.

"You've got no grounds, Eric," he stated coolly. "I kept my word. As long as she said she was yours, I respected that and kept my distance. You've got no conjugal claim on her, you bound her as a serf, not a mate. If she's your mate, you've defiled the bond."

When I saw Eric turn a shade paler, I knew exactly why: Quinn had just backed him into a corner, where his only option was to relinquish any claim over me.

Tense as the situation was, I was thrilled that I knew what was going on. Any question I asked Quinn, he answered, and he did so as honestly as he could - even telling me things I wouldn't like. When I asked about the things he told his workmate about my bond with Eric, he explained the vampire laws around blood bonds to me. I learned more from him in ten minutes than I had in the whole time I'd been bonded to Eric, and I was grateful to him for explaining it to me.

He told me that defiling a blood bond was a very serious offense, punishable by forced severing of the bond. It was only possible for a vampire to defile a bond with a mate, though; if someone was bound to them as a serf, they could do whatever they liked to them. But they were only allowed to bond humans as serfs, not other Supes. There was a grey area around humans who have a trace of Supe blood, but a halfling definitely couldn't be made a serf. Vampire courts wouldn't punish it with final death, but fairies would.

When it came to enslavement by a vampire, any fairy was allowed to kill vampires on the spot to save their own kind, including halflings. (Well, especially halflings; we're the usual targets because our blood makes vampires stronger without making them insane the way pure fairy blood does.) The vampires grudgingly allowed it because retaliation would lead to all-out war. When I pointed out that fairies had left this world, Quinn's response was straightforward and matter-of-fact: "Powerful fairies like Niall don't have to be here for their magic to work, and they'd make Katrina look like a gentle breeze if the vampires got out of line. Every vamp business and sleeping space from here to Albuquerque would be destroyed by natural disasters of one kind or another."

So Eric had just one way out: to relinquish his claim over me now that he knew I was a halfling, not a plain old human.

I could almost dance for joy. I had listened to so many vampire conversations, knowing that every sentence had a dozen layers of meaning I didn't understand and feeling clueless. It felt amazing to finally know what was really being said.

"We will have this conversation later," Eric threatened, glancing at me as I peaked around from behind Quinn.

Quinn beamed at him. "No need for that," he chirped. "She knows all about the laws around blood bonds now. I can't exactly keep things from a telepath, you know. My whole mind's an open book to her, she knows everything I know."

I knew he was exaggerating, but I could tell Eric didn't. His eyes widened and his posture went absolutely rigid; so rigid the phrase _rigor mortis_ came to mind.

All I could do was wonder what else he hadn't told me.


	35. All or nothing

"OK, so you boys are gonna play nice?" I asked, stepping out from behind Quinn.

"It seems I have no choice," huffed Eric. "Outplayed by a stupid animal," he spat, shaking his head.

"This isn't a game," Quinn replied evenly. "But if you want to think about it that way, then publicly humiliating her is where you went wrong. She was still loyal to you after everything else." He was shaking his head, wondering why I'd put up with so much.

"But I didn't do anything," Eric answered, sounding completely dumbfounded. "I haven't even been here."

In Quinn's mind, a song started playing. The lyrics were about a man who got caught having sex with his next door neighbor on the bathroom floor, because he forgot that he gave his girlfriend the spare key to his house. His response? "It wasn't me." Even though she also caught them on the kitchen counter, the sofa and in the shower - and got it all on camera - he still denies it.

As the lyrics got increasingly silly, and Eric just kept standing there looking puzzled, I couldn't help but see the funny side of it. Despite my best efforts to contain my mirth, I burst out laughing.

"This is funny?" Eric snapped.

"No," I replied, still giggling a little. "He's got a song stuck in his head that's kind of amusing."

"What song?"

"C'mon, Eric, you know that if I tell you, you'll end up with it stuck in your head, too."

I could tell from the look on his face that what I said made absolutely no sense to him._ Maybe vampires don't get songs stuck in their head?_ I wondered.

He stared at me for a long moment. "I don't think I ever really knew you," he finally said. "Maybe when I was cursed, perhaps."

"I could say the same," I replied sadly. "But when you were cursed, you weren't you."

"I was more me than I have ever been," he corrected, his voice heavily accented.

"Maybe I should go inside and leave you to it," Quinn whispered in my ear. _You'll be OK, won't you?_ he added.

I nodded, and he went inside quickly, leaving Eric and I to talk. I gestured to the steps leading to the back door, and we sat down next to one another, both facing out into the yard. Neither of us knew what to say, and we were silent for a long time.

Eventually, Eric spoke. "When you said you loved me... I didn't know what I was meant to say." He sounded... regretful?

"It's OK, saying nothing got the point across. The other stuff was overkill, I would've figured it out sooner or later. I didn't read too much into the message you got Bill to pass on to me because something awful had just happened to you and I know how it feels to have people staring at you when you're hurting. I thought you might've just been lashing out... but warding Fangtasia so I couldn't go there any more, that made things pretty clear."

"Who told you about that?" he asked, the slightest hint of surprise in his voice.

"Pam."

"She wasn't meant to tell you."

"Don't worry," I snapped, "some bitchy waitress told me first. Pam didn't spoil the surprise, she just confirmed it when I asked her."

"Oh. That is how I publicly humiliated you?"

I couldn't believe he'd have to ask. "No, Eric! The girls you sent to Merlotte's, Brandi and Melody or whatever their names were."

"I don't know any Brandi or Melody."

"I know, your meals mean nothing to you, they're forgotten as soon as they're gone, yada yada. It's still not right to send them to my work to say hi."

"I didn't."

I sighed loudly. "Even if you didn't mean for them to turn up and tell half the town about your feeding habits, they did. You told them about Merlotte's and let them know there was a woman there who'd make a jealous scene if they showed up bragging about what they did with you. For girls like that, that's all it takes. They like the attention too much to pass up something like that." I managed to sound only slightly angry, even though I was still furious about it.

"I am sorry." His voice was taking on that ancient accent again.

"This is about ten steps beyond 'sorry', Eric. I get that you don't know much about human customs these days, but even if you didn't mean for it to happen, there's no coming back from this. I always ignored what you do at Fangtasia because you've gotta feed, but I wasn't expecting to have to deal with it at home. That was stupid of me, wasn't it? When you're sleeping with that many women, it was only a matter of time 'til one of them found their way to Bon Temps."

"I only do what I must, so I can feed."

I rolled my eyes. "Right. So all that stuff I see in women's heads at Fangtasia is, what, their imagination? There's no point downplaying this. I'm still telepathic, even when I really don't want to be. When I'm tired, I can't even shield myself from it."

"And this upsets you?"

"You know, I thought it shouldn't. I thought I had no right to be upset. And I don't, if I was only ever a serf to you, do I?"

"No."

"But if that's all I am, I'm free to find a mate, you can't stop me seeing someone else. I still have to work for you, but you have no claim on me sexually. You only have that if you're my mate, but to be my mate, we would've had to have a public ceremony, which we didn't, and you'd have to stop feeding on anyone else if I wanted you to, so long as I gave you enough blood."

"But you would not like it if I fed on you constantly."

"Oh, right, so this is about me," I snorted sarcastically. "Because I'd never let a vampire feed on me every night. It's not like I dated a vampire before and let _him_ feed on me every night. You're not blaming this on me, Eric. You never asked because you don't want that. You like having someone new each night, two or three or four 'someone new's each night. That's who you are."

"You would have let me feed on you every night, if I had asked?" He stared at me, dumbfounded.

"Probably," I admitted. "I don't know what that makes me. Stupid? Suicidal? Deluded about what you really -"

He slid across the step quickly and pressed his cool body against mine, pushing my hair back so he could inhale deeply just beside my neck.

"Did you want me to ask, lover?" he purred, his voice low and seductive in my ear. "Would you like it if I fed only on you?" He inhaled again, his head lolling onto my shoulder as he groaned in my ear. "I could, happily... would happily drink from only you."

His voice made me ache low in my belly, and my body responded instantly. A little squeak escaped my throat as I leaned into him, pressing my neck to his lips. He planted a single feather-light kiss there, then started caressing my jugular with his fangs.

"My lover..." he murmured, his fangs stroking my neck. "You taste so good... Like heaven and sunlight... You are best..."

The spell was instantly broken, and I jumped up to get away from him.

"Eric!" I snapped. "Stop it! How many women have you said are _best_, exactly? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?"

I was as angry with myself for responding to him, as I was with him for using the same line on me as he used on countless other women, including one of the girls at Merlotte's.

"Only you." He looked ever-so-slightly sheepish.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm still telepathic, remember. I've heard you use that line in other women's memories, there's no point lying about it."

He seemed like he was going to argue, but simply said, "I will kill Pam."

"Right, it's Pam's fault you use the same stupid lines on everyone," I muttered.

But he was already thinking about sex again.

"You still want me," he smirked. "You've been fucking that tiger all day, I can smell him all over you, but you still want me."

"Like chocolate on Easter morning," I huffed.

He raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Something Amelia said," I explained. Then I thought of something else she said. "Darn it! I hate it when she's right!"

"What did she say that is right?" He cocked his head to the side, waiting for me to speak.

"She said that as soon as I was happy with someone else, you'd turn up to put a stop to it."

"She is wrong."

"Oh, c'mon Eric," I groaned. "You feel all my emotions through the bond, don't you?"

"Yes," he agreed.

"So all the times when I was sad about my Gran or Claudine or just how messed up my life was, you felt it?"

I glared at him until he nodded.

"And when I was so lonely I cried myself to sleep some nights, you felt that?"

I waited and he finally nodded again.

"And all the times when I've been scared because I never knew who would come after me next, you felt my fear?"

He nodded right away.

"And just after the Fairy War when I wasn't sure I could go on, you felt that, too?"

"Yes, but -"

"But you never came to see me then. You felt all of that, but you never once turned up to be here for me. You never came to check I was alright, you never came to cheer me up. Heck, you never even came to make love to me, although I'm sure you felt how much I wanted you to, sometimes." I was proud that my voice stayed steady as I said it all, not betraying how hurt I felt about his long absences, or how rejected his intermittent sexual interest made me feel.

He managed only the slightest nod this time.

"But the very first time in years when I've felt really happy, here you are to stop it."

"You never asked me to be here," he answered weakly.

"Right, so that's my fault too. 'Cos if I'd only called, you would've dropped everything to come and see me."

"You always told me to go away. If you told me you wanted me, I would have brought you to me."

I rolled my eyes. "I told you I wanted you, remember? I finally worked up the nerve to say it, and the next thing you said was 'I'm leaving.' And then you sent me all those charming messages while you were away."

"I am sorry I hurt you." He spoke with a pronounced accent now; a sure sign he was upset.

I waved my hand dismissively. "It's fine, I'm over it already. You did the right thing, really. I needed to know where I stood with you, and now I do."

"What does that mean? To know where you stand... the expression is curious. Are you not standing in your backyard?"

"No, it means to know what someone thinks of you."

"Oh. You are asking what you are to me?"

"It's OK, I think I've figured that out by now."

"But I have never told you what I feel."

"You've made it abundantly clear. Can we just drop this already?" I snapped.

"So you will not listen to anything else I have to say?" He sounded almost hurt.

I took a deep breath. "Fine, if there's something you want to say, I'm listening," I told him, crossing my arms over my chest.

He went to speak half a dozen times, stopping at the last moment on each occasion. His facial expression kept shifting: first puzzled, then resolute, then indecisive, then confused, then apprehensive, then regretful, and on and on. It was more emotion than a vampire typically shows in a year, and I was almost glad he'd closed the bond so I wasn't swept along with him.

Eventually, I sat down next to him again, and he finally spoke.

"What does he offer you that I do not?" he asked. "I am better looking and a better lover. I am older and more powerful. I am physically stronger. I am smarter than him and more educated as well."

"And you're ever so modest, too," I rolled my eyes.

"I am superior in every way, but you want him. Is it because he has more money than I do?"

The comment confused me. "Isn't Fangtasia doing well? I thought that would pay much better than running events for people."

He smiled indulgently at me. "No, lover. I am master of a small domain; Quinn is part-owner of a large company. He doesn't just organize events, he's one of the partners. Did he not tell you that?"

"He did," I said weakly. "I still don't see how that adds up to lots of money, though."

"E(E)E is a Fortune 1000 company. Special Events is reputedly the most profitable division, and the partners share in the profits. That's money on a different scale to a small-town vampire bar; even a successful one like Fangtasia. But there are rumors he was wealthy before he went to E(E)E; that he made a lot of money from his success in the pits."

I felt like a stupid child again, not knowing what the adults were talking about around me. "Don't ask me," I shrugged.

"To do all that, with the brain of a beast..." he grumbled. "Food and sex, that's all they really think about. Even language is a stretch for them, in the end. I hope you are prepared for that, lover."

"Darn tootin'," I agreed sarcastically. "I've dated vampires, remember? I'm used to it all being about blood and sex. It's real nice being with an animal, actually. You know full-time tigers court for weeks or sometimes months before they have sex? Shifters are great, it's like their instincts force them to take you out to dinner and stuff before they jump you."

He just stared at me in stunned silence. "So that is why you like him? He buys you food so you will have sex with him. I bought you food once. It was no trouble. I can do that again if that is what you want?"

"No, Eric, you could buy me all the food in the world and it wouldn't fix things. We're just not right for each other."

"What is it that is not right between us? What does he offer you that I do not?"

I sighed. "A lot of things. He talks to me. He tells me things I need to know, and answers any question I ask. He genuinely cares about my feelings; it hurts him to see me unhappy so he does what he can to make me feel good. He loves me and respects me, too. Treats me like an equal. And the way he looks at me... he's so excited to be near me. I'm special to him; one in a million, not one _of_ a million."

"It has not been a million," he protested. "Less than half that, I am sure. Perhaps only a quarter."

I was shocked into silence for a minute, nauseated by the thought of it. I'd done my own accounting, of course, extending the feeding habits I'd gleaned from women's heads at Fangtasia over a thousand years to come up with a number so high, a million wasn't much of an exaggeration. But hearing it from his own lips was worse somehow, even though the number itself was lower than I expected. It hadn't seemed entirely real before, but now it was.

I reminded myself of the 'thousand years' part... even if he'd been with only one woman a year for all that time, the total would still seem revoltingly high to me. But humans were his food, he had to eat regularly, and given the way vampires were with food and sex...

"This makes you uncomfortable," he concluded. "This is why you prefer him."

"No. Well, maybe. It's related, I guess. I like that he's all mine. That's important to me."

"I am not yours?"

"No."

"Then whose am I?"

"You don't belong to anyone, Eric, there's someone new every night."

He looked at me as though I'd lost my mind. "You are jealous of those blood bags?"

"I mostly managed not to be, but it was a lot of work," I confessed. "I know they're your food, so I always told myself it was just like me going out for a burger... I got used to vampires' nutritional needs with Bill, and I thought I was OK with it..." I was wringing my hands nervously. "I didn't even realize... not until I was around someone who wants only me. I'm so glad to finally have that... I didn't know how much I needed it. But I'm not mad at you, you have to eat."

He was silent for a long time, seeming to contemplate what I said. I caught a single brief flash of his thoughts, and got the impression he was plotting to kill Quinn and take me back, whether I wanted that or not. I steeled myself for a fight, wishing with all my heart that I could be free of the bond; free to choose my own love, without the mystical interference that made me feel things for him I wouldn't otherwise.

"You are happy with him," he finally stated, surprising me.

It wasn't really a question, so I just nodded.

"That is good."

He kissed me on top of the head and disappeared, gone too quickly for my human eyes to track.

_Goodbye Eric,_ I thought to myself. _I hope you find someone who makes you as happy as Quinn makes me. Good luck Viking._

I went inside to make dinner with Quinn and Amelia, relishing the normal human life I was finally able to live.

_Fin  
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_Author's note: Sequel "Love and War" is now online._

_There are also two companion pieces to this story, told from Eric's POV: "Things we do for Love" and "Her Other Lover."__  
_


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